Mrs. Putnam Catlin (Mary "Polly" Sutton)
1825
Medium
Painting-Miniature
Classification
Painting-Miniature
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Catherine Walden Myer Fund
Accession Number
1939.2.1
Tags
About this artwork
In 1778, Catlinâs mother, Polly Sutton, and grandmother were captured by Indians at the surrender of Forty Fort, a stronghold built on a bluff above the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania. There, the Battle of Wyoming had been fought against the combined forces of the British and Indians. Polly Suttonâs stories entranced her son George, and inspired his interest in Native American culture, as did visits to the Catlin home by various soldiers and explorers during the artistâs youth.
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 ...