Artwork
Facsimile of the Robe of Mah-to-toh-pa - Mandan
Facsimile of the Robe of Mah-to-toh-pa - Mandan 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
The piece functions as a facsimile of a Mandan robe, translating the original garment's design into a two-dimensional still life format.
Created in 1865, this work is an oil painting executed on a card support that has been mounted onto paperboard. The piece functions as a facsimile of a Mandan robe, translating the original garment's design into a two-dimensional still life format. The composition measures 45.4 cm in height and 61.4 cm in width.
As a painted reproduction, the artist utilized oil pigments to mimic the visual qualities of the indigenous textile, preserving the specific iconography of the robe through the medium of fine art painting rather than through textile construction.
History & Provenance
George Catlin produced this facsimile in 1865, working in oil on card mounted on paperboard. The work passed from Catlin to his three daughters, Clara Gregory Catlin, Louise Catlin Kinney, and Elizabeth Wing Catlin, by descent. In 1912, the American Museum of Natural History purchased it from Elizabeth Wing Catlin.
The museum later sold the painting in 1959 through Kennedy Galleries in New York to Paul Mellon of Upperville, Virginia. Mellon gave the work to the National Gallery of Art in 1965, where it remains in the collection.
The Facsimile of the Robe of Mah-to-toh-pa - Mandan is currently held by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. The work entered the museum's collection in 1965 as a gift from Paul Mellon, following its acquisition by Mellon in 1959 from Kennedy Galleries in New York. Prior to Mellon's ownership, the painting was purchased in 1912 by the American Museum of Natural History from Elizabeth Wing Catlin, one of the artist's daughters. The piece was originally created by George Catlin in 1865 and remained within the Catlin family lineage before its initial sale. No specific accession number or exhibition history is provided in the available records.
Overview
Created in 1865, this oil painting on card, later affixed to paperboard, records the design of a Mandan ceremonial robe belonging to Mah‑to‑toh‑pa. The work forms part of George Catlin’s extensive visual survey of Native American material culture, produced during his later trips to the western territories.
Subject & Meaning
The composition presents the robe’s pattern and ornamentation in a flattened, frontal view, allowing the viewer to study its colors, motifs, and construction. By isolating the garment from a narrative setting, Catlin emphasizes its role as a cultural artifact and a visual source for understanding Mandan ceremonial dress.
Context
During the mid‑1800s, American interest in documenting Indigenous cultures grew alongside westward expansion. Catlin, originally trained as a lawyer, turned to art as a means of preserving what he perceived as vanishing traditions, producing works that combined portraiture, ethnography, and still‑life representation of cultural objects.
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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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