Pacapacurus Village

Pacapacurus Village is an oil painting created by George Catlin in 1873. The work depicts a landscape featuring a house and trees, executed in oil on card mounted on paperboard. Following the artist's death in 1872, the painting passed by descent to his daughters: Clara Gregory Catlin, Louise Catlin Kinney, and Elizabeth Wing Catlin.

In 1912, Elizabeth Wing Catlin sold the piece to the American Museum of Natural History. The museum later sold the work in 1959 through Kennedy Galleries in New York to Paul Mellon of Upperville, Virginia. Finally, in 1965, Paul Mellon gifted the painting to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., where it remains part of the collection.

The painting is held by the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., where it is accessioned as part of the museum’s permanent collection. It entered the NGA in 1965 as a gift from Mr. Paul Mellon, Upperville, VA, having previously been purchased in 1959 through Kennedy Galleries, New York, from Elizabeth Wing Catlin, one of the artist’s daughters. No exhibition history is recorded in the cited sources.

Pacapacurus Village is an oil painting from 1862 by George Catlin, executed on card and mounted on paperboard. This work exemplifies Catlin's broader artistic endeavor to document landscapes and daily life encountered during his extensive travels. The painting depicts a secluded cabin nestled beneath a large tree, with a low stone wall marking the foreground. Its earthy palette and detailed rendering reflect the artist's characteristic approach to capturing specific scenes.

George Catlin, who transitioned from a legal career to painting, dedicated much of his life to documenting the indigenous cultures and landscapes of the American West. His extensive travels involved living among various Native American tribes, allowing him to observe and record their daily existence. Pacapacurus Village fits within this larger project, alongside earlier studies of regions like the Erie Canal route, showcasing his consistent practice of visual ethnography.

This painting contributes to Catlin's substantial body of work, which includes numerous portraits of Native American individuals and depictions of their communities. His efforts to preserve these images through art have provided significant historical and cultural documentation. Other notable works by Catlin, particularly his portraits of Native Americans, are housed in prominent collections such as the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.