Artwork
Two Ottoe Chiefs and a Woman
Two Ottoe Chiefs and a Woman 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
Subject & Meaning
Catlin’s work combines naturalistic detail with ethnographic interest, presenting the subjects not as stereotypes but as individuals worthy of representation.
The painting portrays two leaders of the Ottoe tribe alongside a woman, rendered as a dignified group portrait that emphasizes Indigenous presence and status in the mid‑19th century. Catlin’s work combines naturalistic detail with ethnographic interest, presenting the subjects not as stereotypes but as individuals worthy of representation. The composition underscores themes of cultural identity and the complex relationships between Native peoples and expanding American society.
Technique & Style
Executed in oil on a thin card support mounted to paperboard, the work measures 45.4 × 60.9 cm. Catlin’s handling is fluid yet precise, with careful layering to define facial features, regalia, and landscape backdrop while retaining a sketch-like immediacy in passages such as the sitters’ garments and the prairie setting. The composition arranges the three figures in a shallow, stage-like space, using a muted palette of earth tones and sky blues to emphasize the subjects’ presence against the open plains. Stylistically, the painting aligns with Catlin’s documentary portraiture: figures are rendered with descriptive realism, yet the scene’s contrived arrangement and inclusion of a non-Otoe woman reflect the artist’s staged approach to ethnographic representation.
The support remains stable, with no evidence of significant planar distortions; minor abrasions and a faint mat burn are visible along the edges, consistent with historic framing and display practices.
History & Provenance
The painting Two Ottoe Chiefs and a Woman was created in 1861 by George Catlin. Its ownership originated with the artist himself, who held the work until his death in 1872. The piece subsequently 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 work from Elizabeth Wing Catlin. The museum retained the painting until 1959, when it was sold through Kennedy Galleries in New York to collector Paul Mellon of Upperville, Virginia. Finally, Mellon gifted the artwork to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., in 1965, 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 1965.12.1.
It was first recorded in the collection of the artist George Catlin and passed by descent to his daughters before being purchased in 1912 by the American Museum of Natural History. In 1959 it was sold via Kennedy Galleries to Paul Mellon, who gifted it to the National Gallery of Art in 1965.
Overview
George Catlin’s 1865 oil painting, Two Ottoe Chiefs and a Woman, presents three figures in a simple, direct composition. Rendered on card mounted to paperboard, the work shows two feather‑crowned men and a woman bearing a child, set against a flat pale‑green backdrop that hints at distant hills. The image reflects Catlin’s characteristic portrait approach, emphasizing individual appearance over elaborate scenery.
Own this work as a print
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.
Bulls Fighting
Expedition Encamped on a Texas Prairie. April 1686
An Alligator's Nest
Mrs. George Catlin (Clara Bartlet Gregory)
Chief of the Taensa Indians Receiving La Salle. March 20, 1682
A Small Village - Payaguas Indians
Omaha Chief, His Wife, and a Warrior
Father Hennepin Leaving the Mississippi to Join La Salle. May 8, 1680
