Snowshoe Dance--no. 14
Medium
Graphic Arts-Print
Classification
Graphic Arts-Print
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the National Museum of Natural History, Department of Ethnology, Smithsonian Institution
Accession Number
1985.66.386,599J
Tags
Art Historical Context
George Catlin's *Snowshoe Dance--no. 14* captures a vibrant moment from Native American life, showcasing a traditional dance likely performed by Indigenous peoples in snowy northern regions. As part of a numbered series, this print reflects Catlin's lifelong mission in the 1830s to document the customs, ceremonies, and daily rituals of tribes across the American West before they were lost to encroaching settlement. Known for his ethnographic portraits and scenes, Catlin immersed himself among communities, sketching directly from life to preserve their cultural richness. Rendered as a graphic ...
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 ...