Landscape Background
1846-1848
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
1985.66.581-U
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
About this artwork
“The landscape scenes of these wild and beautiful regions, are, of themselves, a rich reward for the traveler.” (Catlin, Letters and Notes, vol. 2, no. 37, 1841; reprint 1973)
Art Historical Context
George Catlin, a pioneering 19th-century American, captured the untamed beauty of the American through his paintings, often during his extensive travels among Native American tribes in the 0s. Created between 1846 and 1848, *Landscape Background* exemplifies his fascination with the dramatic vistas of the frontier. As a standalone landscape painting in oil—housed in the Smithsonian American Art Museum—this work likely served as a backdrop to highlight the majestic wilderness, reflecting Catlin's Romantic style that emphasized nature's sublime power and the fleeting purity of the West before widespread settlement. Catlin himself eloquently described these scenes in his 1841 *Letters and Notes*: “The landscape scenes of these wild and beautiful regions, are, of themselves, a rich reward for the traveler.” This painting embodies that sentiment, showcasing vast horizons, rugged terrain, and ethereal light typical of Western landscapes. Though not tied to a specific portrait here, it underscores Catlin's mission to document a vanishing era, blending artistic observation with ethnographic zeal. Today, this piece holds cultural significance as a window into America's expanding frontier, preserved through the generosity of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr. It invites visitors to ponder the artist's urgent plea to preserve these "wild and beautiful regions" amid rapid change.
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 ...