Artwork
Three Minatarree Indians
Three Minatarree Indians is an oil painting by the American Folk Art artist George Catlin. It dates from 1861 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:lower right: Geo. Catlin. 1861.
About this work
Technique & Style
The work is executed in oil paint applied to a card support, which was then mounted onto paperboard, a choice consistent with Catlin’s practice of using lightweight supports for portability during field campaigns. Handling shows smooth, blended modeling of facial features and costume details, typical of mid-nineteenth-century portrait conventions, with careful attention to the sitters’ regalia and physiognomy. The composition arranges the three figures in a shallow, staged space, their upright postures and direct gazes emphasizing ethnographic portraiture’s documentary aims.
Condition appears stable; the painting has remained in institutional care since its 1965 acquisition by the National Gallery of Art, with no treatment reports indicating significant structural or chromatic alterations.
History & Provenance
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.
George Catlin created the oil painting Three Minatarree Indians in 1861. The work was executed 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, the American Museum of Natural History purchased the piece from Elizabeth Wing Catlin. The museum sold the work in 1959 through Kennedy Galleries in New York to collector Paul Mellon of Upperville, Virginia. Mellon subsequently gifted the painting to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., in 1965, where it remains part of the collection.
Held by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. The painting was acquired in 1959 through Kennedy Galleries, New York, from Elizabeth Wing Catlin and subsequently gifted to the institution in 1965. It is cataloged under the accession number 1965.14.1.
Exhibition history includes its display in the "American Paintings from the Nineteenth Century" exhibition at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., in 1975.
Context
The painting Three Minatarree Indians occupies a distinctive position in George Catlin's oeuvre as a portrait that documents Indigenous subjects during a period of intense cultural documentation in the 19th century. Its scholarly significance is reinforced by its presence in the National Gallery of Art's collection, reflecting institutional recognition of its historical and artistic value. The work's provenance, tracing from the artist's descendants to acquisition by the National Gallery of Art in 1965, underscores its authenticated importance within institutional narratives.
Legacy
The painting helped shape how 19th-century audiences visualized Indigenous peoples and remained part of the National Gallery of Art's collection through the mid-20th century, influencing later scholarship on Native American portraiture.
Its provenance reflects a documented chain of ownership from the artist to the National Gallery of Art in 1965, and it continues to be exhibited as part of the museum's holdings.
Overview
Created in 1861, Three Minatarree Indians is an oil painting executed on card that has been affixed to a paperboard support. The work presents three figures dressed in vivid attire, each rendered with careful attention to the decorative elements of their clothing and accessories. The scene is set against a muted, open landscape that serves to emphasize the figures and their cultural markers.
Subject & Meaning
The composition depicts three members of the Minatarree, a subgroup of the Plains peoples, each displaying distinct regalia: a beaded skirt and fan, a feathered headdress with a bundled object, and a bow with arrows complemented by red‑orange leggings. The portrait highlights individual identity through dress and accoutrements, offering a visual record of personal and tribal adornment practices.
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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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