Artwork
An Indian Encampment at Sunset
An Indian Encampment at Sunset is an oil painting by the American Folk Art artist George Catlin. It dates from 1865 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
It shows a quiet camp scene at dusk, tipped with long shadows from teepees and trees.
George Catlin painted Indian Encampment at Sunset in 1861. It shows a quiet camp scene at dusk, tipped with long shadows from teepees and trees. A fire glows near a group of figures in soft orange light.
Catlin spent years living with tribes to paint these scenes. He cared more about honest daily life than dramatic battles. Notice how the smoke curls toward the fading sky, a small but telling detail.
Look up Catlin, George next to see more works like this one.
Subject & Meaning
The painting shows an Indian encampment at sunset, centered on a tree that anchors the composition. Catlin rendered the scene as a landscape that documents Native American life on the frontier, using the encampment and surrounding vegetation to convey a specific place and moment. The work is an oil on card mounted on paperboard, created in 1861, and currently held by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., having passed through the artist’s family and a series of sales before being gifted in 1965.
Technique & Style
An Indian Encampment at Sunset was created in 1861 using oil paint applied to a card support, which is subsequently mounted on paperboard. The work measures 46.1 cm in height and 62.6 cm in width. Classified as a landscape painting, the piece depicts an Indian encampment scene featuring trees.
The handling of the medium on this specific card mount characterizes the physical object currently held in the National Gallery of Art collection.
History & Provenance
An Indian Encampment at Sunset was painted by George Catlin in 1861. Following Catlin's death, the work descended to his daughters Clara Gregory Catlin, Louise Catlin Kinney, and Elizabeth Wing Catlin. In 1912 the American Museum of Natural History purchased the painting from Elizabeth Wing Catlin.
The museum retained the work until 1959, when it was sold through Kennedy Galleries in New York to Paul Mellon of Upperville, Virginia. Mellon subsequently gave the painting to the National Gallery of Art in 1965, where it remains in the collection.
The painting An Indian Encampment at Sunset is currently held by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Its provenance traces from the artist George Catlin to his daughters, with the work being purchased in 1912 by the American Museum of Natural History from Elizabeth Wing Catlin. The museum sold the piece in 1959 through Kennedy Galleries in New York to Paul Mellon of Upperville, Virginia, who subsequently gifted it to the National Gallery of Art in 1965. No specific accession number is provided in the available records, though the work dates to 1861.
Overview
George Catlin, a painter known for his depictions of Native American life, created An Indian Encampment at Sunset in 1865. Executed in oil on card mounted on paperboard, this painting captures a tranquil camp scene at dusk. It showcases a quiet moment within a natural setting, characteristic of the American folk art tradition, and represents a facet of Catlin's broader engagement with landscape subjects.
Context
Though George Catlin is widely recognized for his extensive series of portraits of Plains Indians from the 1830s, a period when he lived among various tribes, this 1865 work highlights his broader artistic scope. Originally trained as a lawyer, Catlin dedicated his career to documenting the Indigenous peoples of the American frontier. While his portraits focused on individuals, An Indian Encampment at Sunset demonstrates his interest in capturing the wider landscapes and daily environments of Native American life.
Own this work as a print
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.
Bulls Fighting
Expedition Encamped on a Texas Prairie. April 1686
An Alligator's Nest
Mrs. George Catlin (Clara Bartlet Gregory)
Chief of the Taensa Indians Receiving La Salle. March 20, 1682
A Small Village - Payaguas Indians
Omaha Chief, His Wife, and a Warrior
Father Hennepin Leaving the Mississippi to Join La Salle. May 8, 1680
