L'har-e-tar-rúshe, Ill-natured Man, a Skidi (Wolf) Pawnee

About this artwork

George Catlin probably painted these images of Pawnee chiefs and warriors at Fort Leavenworth (in today’s Kansas) in 1832. He later described the tribe as: “A very powerful and warlike nation, living on the river Platte, about one hundred miles from its junction with the Missouri; laying claim to, and exercising sway over, the whole country, from its mouth to the base of the Rocky Mountains. The present number of this tribe is ten or twelve thousand; about one half the number they had in 1832, w...

Art Historical Context

In 1832, George Catlin captured the striking portrait *L'har-e-tar-rúshe, Ill-n Man, a Skidi (Wolf) Pawnee* at Fort Leavenworth in-day Kansas. This full depiction showcases a warrior from the Skidi band of the Pawnee tribe adorned with intricate jewelry that highlights their cultural regalia. Catlin, a pioneering 19th American artist, devoted his career to documenting Native American life through realistic oil portraits, creating his renowned "Indian Gallery" to preserve vanishing traditions amid rapid Western expansion. Painted during Catlin's travels along the Platte River, the work reflect...

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 ...