Father Hennepin and Companions at the Falls of St. Anthony. May 1, 1680

George Catlin painted the work in 1848. It remained in his possession until his death in 1872, after which it passed by descent to his three daughters, Clara Gregory Catlin, Louise Catlin Kinney, and Elizabeth Wing Catlin. In 1912 the American Museum of Natural History purchased the canvas from Elizabeth Wing Catlin.

The painting was sold in 1959 through Kennedy Galleries in New York to Paul Mellon of Upperville, Virginia. Six years later, in 1965, Mellon gave the work to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., where it is held in the collection.

The painting Father Hennepin and Companions at the Falls of St. Anthony, completed in 1848 by George Catlin, is an oil on canvas work measuring 37.8 cm by 56.4 cm and is classified as a landscape.

It entered the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., through the 1965 gift of Paul Mellon, becoming part of the museum's permanent collection of American art.

George Catlin's 1848 oil painting, Father Hennepin and Companions at the Falls of St. Anthony. May 1, 1680, depicts the 17th-century explorer and his group at the significant Minnesota landmark. This landscape reflects Catlin's broader artistic focus on historical narratives and scenes from the American frontier. The work is rendered in oil on canvas, showcasing a dramatic natural setting with human figures.

The painting portrays Father Louis Hennepin and his companions on May 1, 1680, standing calmly beside the powerful Falls of St. Anthony. An empty boat floats nearby, and a solitary tree leans into the composition. The figures, dressed in period attire, appear somewhat detached from the roaring water behind them. Catlin aimed to convey the spirit of early exploration and human presence within the vast American wilderness.

Originally trained in law, George Catlin transitioned to painting, dedicating his career to documenting American frontier life, particularly Native American cultures. His earlier work included engravings of the Erie Canal, but extensive travels west in the 1830s solidified his focus on the landscapes and historical events of American expansion. This painting exemplifies his interest in pivotal moments from the nation's early exploratory history.