Catching the Wild Horse, George Catlin, 1844
George Catlin, portraitGeorge CatlinAmerican, 1796–1872

Catching the Wild Horse

1844 · Print · 30.8 × 45.56 cm

Can I see it?

Not on view at present

Where is “Catching the Wild Horse” now? Collection: Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis. Not on view at present. Checked September 29, 2026.

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Minneapolis, United States

It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.

Checked
In this state since
Source
The museum

About the work

During the 1830s, George Catlin traversed the Great Plains to record the appearance and customs of Native people. He was among the first artists of European descent to travel widely in the Midwest and West, spending eight years chronicling scenes of daily life among the 48 indigenous tribes he encountered. In 1844, with the intention of honoring and preserving Native culture in the face of growing oppression by the U.S. government and military, Catlin published a series of 25 hand-colored lithographs based on his sketches and paintings. Though he romanticized many of his subjects, the prints in North American Indian Collection provide a glimpse of Native culture on the U.S. frontier in the 1830s.

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Details

Accession number
P.86.37.4

In the catalog

Sources

In the life of George Catlin

The whole life
  1. 1844

    Catlin’s North American Indian Portfolio

    He publishes a portfolio of 25 plates with hunting scenes of the West.

  2. 1845

    Death of his wife Clara and a son in Paris

    In Paris his wife Clara, whom he had married in 1828 and who had accompanied him on one of his journeys west, dies of consumption, as does their youngest son. The remaining children are taken in by his wife’s relatives.

  3. 1845

    Moves to Paris

    He moves with his family from England to Paris.

All works

On view at Minneapolis Institute of Art

Museum page