Artwork
Painting the Lengua Chief
Painting the Lengua Chief is an oil painting by the Impressionist artist George Catlin. It dates from 1862 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. Created in 1862, this oil painting on card, later mounted on paperboard, presents a Native American chief positioned before a solitary tree.
About this work
Technique & Style
No further information on handling, condition, palette, or stylistic qualities is provided in the available material.
Painting the Lengua Chief is executed in oil, with the corpus source describing the support as card mounted on paperboard, while the Wikidata entry records the material as oil paint on canvas. The work is a portrait genre painting, dated 1872, and depicts a tree alongside the chief figure. Its dimensions are given as 47 cm in height by 62.5 cm in width.
The discrepancy between the two sources on the precise support, card mounted on paperboard versus canvas, reflects differing cataloging records rather than additional technical detail in the sources themselves. No further information on handling, condition, palette, or stylistic qualities is provided in the available material.
History & Provenance
Created in 1872 by George Catlin, this oil painting on card mounted to paperboard depicts a Lengua chief alongside a tree. Following the artist's death later that year, the work 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 piece directly from Elizabeth Wing Catlin.
The museum retained the work until 1959, when it was sold through Kennedy Galleries of New York to collector 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 in the collection.
Painting the Lengua Chief is held by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Its provenance traces from George Catlin to his daughters Clara Gregory Catlin, Louise Catlin Kinney, and Elizabeth Wing Catlin, passing by descent. In 1912 the American Museum of Natural History purchased the work from Elizabeth Wing Catlin. It was sold in 1959 through Kennedy Galleries in New York to Paul Mellon of Upperville, Virginia, who gave it to the NGA in 1965.
No specific exhibition history beyond this chain of ownership is documented in the available sources.
Overview
Created in 1862, this oil painting on card, later mounted on paperboard, presents a Native American chief positioned before a solitary tree. The work belongs to the series of portraits produced by George Catlin, who documented Indigenous peoples of the American West during the mid‑19th century.
Subject & Meaning
The central figure is rendered in traditional regalia, emphasizing the chief’s cultural identity and status within his community. The inclusion of the tree contributes a natural backdrop that frames the sitter, suggesting a connection between the individual and his environment.
Context
The painting emerges from a period when Euro‑American expansion prompted heightened interest in documenting Indigenous cultures. Catlin’s portraits served both as ethnographic records and as artistic representations intended for audiences in the eastern United States.
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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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