Artwork
A Flathead Chief with His Family
A Flathead Chief with His 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. Created in 1862, this oil painting on card, later affixed to paperboard, portrays a Flathead chief together with members of his household.
About this work
Technique & Style
The work functions as a painted genre piece, presenting a formal depiction of a Flathead chief alongside his family members.
Executed in 1871, this portrait utilizes oil paint applied to a card support, which is subsequently mounted on paperboard. The work functions as a painted genre piece, presenting a formal depiction of a Flathead chief alongside his family members. The composition measures 46.3 cm in height and 62.5 cm in width, adhering to the specific dimensions recorded for the piece held by the National Gallery of Art.
The mounting technique suggests a method intended to stabilize the card substrate, a material choice distinct from traditional canvas or wooden panel supports often found in nineteenth-century portraiture.
History & Provenance
Painted in 1871 by George Catlin, this oil on card work remained in the artist's possession until his death the following year. Ownership 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 directly from Elizabeth Wing Catlin.
The museum retained the painting until 1959, when it was sold through Kennedy Galleries of New York to Paul Mellon of Upperville, Virginia. Mellon subsequently donated the work to the National Gallery of Art in 1965, where it entered the permanent collection.
A Flathead Chief with His Family is held by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., entering the collection in 1965 as a gift from Paul Mellon of Upperville, Virginia. Mellon had acquired the painting in 1959 through Kennedy Galleries in New York. Before that, the work had been purchased by the American Museum of Natural History in 1912 from Elizabeth Wing Catlin, one of George Catlin's three daughters, who inherited it along with Clara Gregory Catlin and Louise Catlin Kinney directly from the artist.
The painting is catalogued by the National Gallery of Art as an oil on card mounted on paperboard, measuring 46.3 cm in height by 62.5 cm in width. No exhibition history beyond the documented chain of ownership is recorded in the available sources.
Context
Painted in 1871, George Catlin's A Flathead Chief with His Family is part of his series documenting Plains Indian subjects created during extensive western expeditions beginning in 1830. The work entered the National Gallery of Art collection through the bequest of Paul Mellon in 1965, having previously been held by the American Museum of Natural History and sold by Kennedy Galleries in 1959. As a portrait genre piece, it exemplifies Catlin's focus on individual dignity and ceremonial detail within Native American communities, situating it within his broader effort to preserve cultural representations before significant Euroamerican contact.
The painting's dimensions of 46.3 cm by 62.5 cm align with his typical portrait scale for formal group depictions.
Overview
Created in 1862, this oil painting on card, later affixed to paperboard, portrays a Flathead chief together with members of his household. The composition centers on five figures arranged near a lakeside camp, with a modest tent and drying racks visible in the background. The work belongs to the American folk art tradition, emphasizing straightforward representation of everyday scenes.
Subject & Meaning
The image captures a domestic moment among a Flathead family: two men in minimal attire, one holding a staff, and three women seated on the ground, surrounded by simple robes, a basket, and dried fish. The inclusion of fishing equipment and the natural setting underscores the community’s reliance on the surrounding environment for sustenance.
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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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