George CatlinAmerican, 1796–1872Scalp Dance, Sioux
May one see it?
Unknown
Washington, D.C., United States
The owner is known; whether it is on view today is not.
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the painting
While he was in Europe, George Catlin received a commission to paint fifteen large canvases from King Louis Philippe of France, who had spent two years in the United States in the late 1790s. Inspired, perhaps, by the art he saw in French museums, Catlin produced the most carefully detailed and highly finished works of his career. Here, he turned a rough sketch from Fort Pierre in 1832 into a full-blown and dramatically lit spectacle.
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Particulars
- Accession number
- 1985.66.438B
What it shows
In the catalog
Sources
- Smithsonian American Art Museum
- Image: Smithsonian American Art Museum — CC0
Meanwhile, in the life of George Catlin
The whole life1844
Catlin’s North American Indian Portfolio
He publishes a portfolio of 25 plates with hunting scenes of the West.
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.
1845
Moves to Paris
He moves with his family from England to Paris.
1848
Notes on eight years in Europe
He publishes Notes of Eight Years’ Travels and Residence in Europe.