Artwork
Catlin and Indian Attacking Buffalo
Catlin and Indian Attacking Buffalo 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
Technique & Style
Figures and animals are rendered with simplified contours and flattened modeling, aligning with Catlin’s documentary approach to recording Plains Indian life.
The painting is executed in oil on a card support, which is then mounted on paperboard. Its dimensions are 46.5 × 62.9 cm.
The handling is broad and descriptive, emphasizing narrative clarity over fine detail. Figures and animals are rendered with simplified contours and flattened modeling, aligning with Catlin’s documentary approach to recording Plains Indian life. The color palette is earthy and restrained, with muted browns, ochers, and blues, heightening the scene’s dramatic immediacy.
No specific condition issues are documented in the cited sources.
History & Provenance
George Catlin created the oil painting Catlin and Indian Attacking Buffalo in 1861. The work was originally owned by the artist 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 retained ownership until 1959, when it was sold through Kennedy Galleries in New York to Paul Mellon of Upperville, Virginia. Mellon subsequently donated the painting to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., in 1965, where it remains part of the collection.
The painting Catlin and Indian Attacking Buffalo is currently held by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. It entered the museum's collection in 1965 as a gift from Paul Mellon, following his 1959 acquisition through Kennedy Galleries of New York. Prior to Mellon's ownership, the work was part of the holdings of the American Museum of Natural History, which purchased it in 1912 directly from Elizabeth Wing Catlin, one of the artist's daughters. The artwork has remained in the National Gallery of Art since its donation.
Overview
Created in 1865, this oil painting on card mounted to paperboard depicts a dynamic encounter between a European‑American figure and a Native American as they confront a buffalo herd. The composition captures a moment of intense movement, emphasizing the physical struggle inherent in the scene.
Subject & Meaning
The work illustrates a confrontation that reflects the broader tensions of frontier life, juxtaposing a white observer, often identified as the artist himself, with an Indigenous hunter engaged in the traditional pursuit of buffalo. It serves as a visual record of Plains Indian hunting practices and the encroaching presence of settlers.
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
