American Art Collaborative

George Catlin described The Cheyenne as a “fine-looking fellow, with a pipe in one hand and his whip in the other.” This portrait reveals Catlin’s working methods in the West, in which he would sketch the entire figure in brown, model the details of the head and torso, and often leave the rest of the body unfinished. The Pawnee shown here wears a peace medal around his neck, suggesting that he was among those who traveled to Washington during the government’s campaign to win alliances among the Native American nations. (Catlin, 1848 Catalogue, Catlin’s Indian Gallery, SAAM online exhibition