Notes on the Indians
ca. 1832-1837
Medium
Graphic Arts-Book
Classification
Graphic Arts-Book
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase
Accession Number
1971.261
Art Historical Context
**Notes on the Indians** by George Catlin (ca. 1832–1837) offers a vivid window into 19th-century America through the eyes of one of its pioneering artists. Catlin, a self-ta painter and ethnographer, embarked on extensive travels across the Great Plains during the 1830s, documenting Native American tribes at a pivotal moment. This graphic arts book, housed in the Smithsonian American Art, captures his firsthand observations with sketches, notes, and illustrations—likely drawn from his "Indian Gallery," a traveling collection of over 600 portraits and scenes. Historically, the work reflects t...
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 ...