Weapons and Physiognomy of the Grizzly Bear

About this artwork

The prairies of the 1830s were a paradise for animal predators as well as enthusiastic huntsmen. Eagles, wolves, mountain lions, and grizzly bears were among the beasts hunting the abundant antelope, elk, and buffalo. George Catlin described many encounters between predators and prey, but could only make quick sketches of these incidents as they unfolded, in hopes of capturing the excitement in more finished studio works. Catlin disapproved of white settlers’ encroaching on Indian lands, yet h...

Art Historical Context

George Catlin, the pioneering 19th-century artist known for his vivid depictions of Native American life and the untamed American West, created *Weapons and Physiognomy of the Grizzly Bear* between 1846 and 1848. A master of Romantic realism, Catlin traveled the Great Plains in the 1830s, sketching wildlife and dramatic encounters amid vast herds of antelope, elk, and buffalo. This oil painting, now in the Smithsonian American Art Museum, captures the grizzly's formidable claws, teeth—"weapons"—and expressive facial features, or physiognomy, transforming quick field sketches into a powerful st...

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 ...