On-sáw-kie, The Sauk, in the Act of Praying
1830
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
1985.66.237
Tags
About this artwork
The Sauk, a member of the Potawatomi/Prairie Band, was probably painted by George Catlin at Fort Leavenworth (in today’s Kansas) in 1830. He described the Sauk as “in the act of praying; his prayer written in characters on a maple stick.” (Truettner, The Natural Man Observed, 1979)
Art Historical Context
In 1830, renowned artist George Catlin captured *On-sáw-kie, The Sauk, in the Act of Praying* at Fort Leavenworth in present-day Kansas. Catlin, a pioneering 19th-century painter and ethnographer, devoted much of his career to documenting Native American life through vivid portraits, creating over 600 works during his travels along the Missouri River. This oil painting portrays a member of the Potawatomi/Prairie Band—referred to as "The Sauk"—in a moment of deep spirituality, highlighting Catlin's commitment to preserving indigenous cultures amid rapid American expansion. Catlin himself descr...
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 ...