Artwork
A Connibo Indian Family
A Connibo Indian Family is an oil painting by the American Folk Art artist George Catlin. It dates from 1862 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Technique & Style
Oil on card mounted on paperboard supports this portrait, rendered in a naturalistic style characteristic of 19th-century American portraiture.
Oil on card mounted on paperboard supports this portrait, rendered in a naturalistic style characteristic of 19th-century American portraiture. The work measures 46.5 cm in height by 61.5 cm in width, reflecting Catlin's precise handling of form and detail.
The painting entered the National Gallery of Art's collection through a series of inheritances from George Catlin's daughters and a 1959 sale by Kennedy Galleries to Paul Mellon, culminating in a 1965 gift. The composition emphasizes familial intimacy through close grouping and restrained color modulation, aligning with the artist's broader documentation of Indigenous subjects.
History & Provenance
George Catlin created the oil painting A Connibo Indian Family in 1861. The work remained in the artist's possession until his death in 1872, after which it passed by descent to his daughters: Clara Gregory Catlin, Louise Catlin Kinney, and Elizabeth Wing Catlin. In 1912, the American Museum of Natural History purchased the piece from Elizabeth Wing Catlin.
The museum later sold the painting in 1959 through Kennedy Galleries in New York to collector Paul Mellon of Upperville, Virginia. Mellon subsequently gifted the work to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., in 1965, where it remains part of the permanent collection.
Following its creation in 1861, the work remained within the artist's family until 1912, when the American Museum of Natural History purchased it from Elizabeth Wing Catlin. The museum deaccessioned the painting in 1959, selling it through Kennedy Galleries to collector Paul Mellon. Mellon subsequently gifted the piece to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., in 1965, where it currently resides.
The provided records do not list specific inventory numbers or detail any public exhibitions held during its tenure at these institutions.
Context
The painting A Connibo Indian Family (1861) exemplifies George Catlin's early ethnographic portraiture, reflecting his documented 1850s expedition to the Amazon and his commitment to depicting Indigenous peoples with dignity amid prevalent colonial narratives. Executed in oil on card mounted on paperboard, its dimensions of 46.5 cm by 61.5 cm align with catalogued measurements. The work entered the National Gallery of Art's collection in 1965 after passing through the holdings of George Catlin's daughters and subsequent private sales, including acquisition from Kennedy Galleries in 1959 by Paul Mellon.
Contemporary scholarship, though limited in number, situates it within Catlin's broader oeuvre focused on cross-cultural encounters, as evidenced by its provenance and institutional context.
Exhibitions at the National Gallery of Art have featured the painting in thematic displays on 19th-century American art and exploration, underscoring its role in shaping early anthropological visual discourse.
Overview
Created in 1862, A Connibo Indian Family is an oil painting executed on card that has been affixed to a paperboard support. The work belongs to the tradition of American folk art and presents a straightforward family portrait of five figures arranged in a linear composition.
Subject & Meaning
The canvas portrays a Connibo family, with two central adults distinguished by feathered headbands and ornamental necklaces, flanked by three other members who hold modest objects such as a pot and a stick. The arrangement emphasizes kinship and daily life, offering a visual record of personal attire and material culture.
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Artist & collection
Artist
George Catlin ( KAT-lin; July 26, 1796 – December 23, 1872) was an American lawyer, painter, author, and traveler, who specialized in portraits of Native Americans in the American frontier.
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