Naw-naw-páy-ee, The Soldier

About this artwork

Before he began his extensive travels in the West, George Catlin found his first Indian subjects in the East. Nine members of a Winnebago delegation from present-day Wisconsin sat for him in Washington, D.C., in 1828. Catlin wrote that he had painted the portraits of “Won-de-tow-a (the wonder), Wa-kon-chash-kaw (he who comes on the thunder), Nau-naw-pay-ee (the soldier), Span-e-o-nee-kaw (the Spaniard) Hoo-wan-ee-kaw (the little elk), No-ah-choo-she-kaw (he who breaks the bushes), and Naugh-ha...

Art Historical Context

In 1828, before embarking on his legendary journeys across the American West, artist George Catlin captured the dignified likeness of Naw-naw-páy-ee, known as "The Soldier," a prominent member of the Winnebago (Ho-Chunk) tribe from present-day Wisconsin. This full-length portrait depicts one of nine tribal leaders who traveled to Washington, D.C., as part of a delegation. Catlin, a pioneering Romantic painter, meticulously documented these men— including Won-de-tow-a ("the wonder") and Wa-kon-chash-kaw ("he who comes on the thunder")—in oil on canvas, preserving their regal presence and tradit...

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 ...