Artwork
A Lagoon of the Upper Amazon
A Lagoon of the Upper Amazon is an oil painting by the Impressionist artist George Catlin. It dates from 1862 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
George Catlin's A Lagoon of the Upper Amazon, painted in 1862, is a landscape work that primarily depicts a tree within a natural setting.
George Catlin's A Lagoon of the Upper Amazon, painted in 1862, is a landscape work that primarily depicts a tree within a natural setting. As a genre landscape, the painting focuses on the representation of the Amazonian environment rather than narrative or human figures. The visual subject is defined by the presence of the tree, which anchors the composition of the lagoon scene.
The work serves as a record of the Upper Amazon's flora and topography as interpreted by the artist in the mid-nineteenth century.
Technique & Style
Painted in oil on a plain-weave canvas support, the work measures 60.1 cm in width by 46.5 cm in height. Stylistically, the composition adheres to Catlin's late panoramic manner: a high horizon compresses the scene into a near-symmetrical arrangement, with dense upper-canopy foliage framing a luminous central lagoon. The palette relies on muted greens and ochres, punctuated by localized warmth in the foliage and reflections, producing a tranquil, almost schematic evocation of tropical abundance.
History & Provenance
George Catlin executed this oil on canvas landscape in 1862. Following the artist's death in 1872, the work 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 painting directly from Elizabeth Wing Catlin.
The museum retained the work until 1959, when it was sold through Kennedy Galleries of New York to Paul Mellon of Upperville, Virginia. Mellon subsequently donated the piece to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., in 1965. The provided records do not list specific inventory numbers or detail any public exhibitions for this piece.
Context
Painted in 1862, this landscape exemplifies George Catlin's documentation of Amazonian flora during his late expedition years, reflecting his ethnographic and naturalist interests. Its composition centers on a solitary tree within a misty lagoon. The work remained in Catlin's family until 1912, then entered the National Gallery of Art's collection through a series of transactions involving his daughters and Paul Mellon's gift in 1965.
It occupies a notable place among the relatively few 19th-century works depicting Amazonian ecosystems from an explorer's perspective, bridging Romantic landscape traditions and scientific visualization.
Legacy
A Lagoon of the Upper Amazon (1862) is held in the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., where it has been part of the collection since its donation in 1965. Its provenance traces back to George Catlin, who created the work, and subsequently passed through his daughters before being acquired by the American Museum of Natural History in 1912. The piece was later sold by Kennedy Galleries to Paul Mellon in 1959 and finally gifted to the National Gallery of Art in 1965.
This lineage underscores its significance within Catlin's oeuvre and contributes to his legacy as a chronicler of Amazonian landscapes.
Overview
Created in 1862, A Lagoon of the Upper Amazon is an oil painting on canvas by American artist George Catlin. The work presents a tranquil Amazonian lagoon at dusk, its still water framed by a solitary, leaning tree and a sky washed in pink and blue hues.
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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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