I-an-be-w'ah-dick, Male Caribou, a Brave
1836
Medium
Painting
Classification
Painting
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr.
Accession Number
1985.66.194
Tags
About this artwork
George Catlin described Male Caribou, a member of the Ojibwe/Chippewa tribe, as âa brave, with a war-club in his hand.â This portrait was painted from life at Sault Ste. Marie, located between Lake Superior and Lake Huron, during Catlinâs only visit there in 1836. Despite the obvious interest Catlin took in rendering the decorated shirt, war club, and feathered turban-style headdress, this warriorâs direct gaze is what holds our attention. Catlinâs portraits show the Plains Indians as ...
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 ...