Wash-ím-pe-shee, Madman, a Distinguished Warrior

About this artwork

“The Osages have been formerly, and until quite recently, a powerful and warlike tribe: carrying their arms fearlessly through all of these realms; and ready to cope with foes of any kind that they were liable to meet. At present, the case is quite different; they have been repeatedly moved and jostled along, from the head waters of the White river, and even from the shores of the Mississippi, to where they now are; and reduced by every war and every move.” (Catlin, Letters and Notes, vol. 2...

Art Historical Context

George Catlin's 1834 painting *Wash-ím-pe-shee, Madman, a Distinguished Warrior* offers a striking full-length portrait of an Osage man in traditional Indian dress, rendered with the artist's signature realism. Catlin, a pioneering 19th-century American painter, dedicated much of his career to documenting Native American life through hundreds of portraits during his travels across the frontier. This work, now in the Smithsonian American Art Museum, exemplifies his commitment to capturing the dignity and individuality of his subjects before cultural changes altered their world. In his own word...

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 ...