American Art Collaborative

George Catlin described Man of Sense as “another of this tribe [Iowa], much distinguished for his bravery and early warlike achievements. His head was dressed with a broad silver band passing around it, and decked out with the crest of horsehair.” Catlin further described the subject as having “a handsome pipe in his hand, and bears' claw necklace on his neck.” He probably painted this work at Fort Leavenworth (in today’s Kansas) in 1832. (Truettner, The Natural Man Observed, 1979