Group of Algonquian and Iroquoian Indian--no. 1
n.d.
Medium
Graphic Arts-Print
Classification
Graphic Arts-Print
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the National Museum of Natural History, Department of Ethnology, Smithsonian Institution
Accession Number
1985.66.386,590A
Tags
Art Historical Context
George Catlin's *Group of Algonqu and Iroquoian--no. 1* captures a poignant moment of Native American life, featuring a figure group from two major Eastern Woodlands tribes: the Algonquian, known for their widespread linguistic family across the Northeast and Great Lakes, and the Iquoian Iroquois Confederacy, renowned for their democratic governance and matrilineal society. As a graphic arts print, this undated work exemplifies Catlin's dedication to preserving indigenous cultures through accessible reproductions of his oil paintings. In the 1830s, Catlin embarked on expeditions across the Am...
About the Artist
George Catlin · 1796–1872
George Catlin (1796–1872), born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, to Putnam Catlin and Polly Sutton—who had been captured by Native Americans during the 1778 Battle of Wyoming—initially pursued a legal career. Trained at Litchfield Law School, he was admitted to the bar in 1819 but abandoned law after two years to study art in Philadelphia in 1823. Self-taught as a portraitist, Catlin quickly gained ...