Artwork
A Stone Warrior, His Wife, and a Boy
A Stone Warrior, His Wife, and a Boy is an oil painting by the American Folk Art artist George Catlin. It dates from 1862 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1862, this oil painting on card, later mounted on paperboard, presents a small family group set against a gentle, rolling landscape. The work captures a man, his wife, and a boy, each dressed in traditional attire, standing in an open field beneath a clear sky.
Subject & Meaning
The central male figure is shown in a long tan robe trimmed with feathers and fringe, holding a bundle of sticks and a small animal, suggesting a role as provider or hunter. Beside him, a boy in a similar robe with a red belt and feathered headdress reflects youth and continuity, while the woman, wrapped in a tan blanket and turned away, adds a quiet, contemplative presence to the scene.
Technique & Style
Executed in oil on a modest card support, the painting displays the plain, direct visual language typical of American folk art. Brushwork is straightforward, with limited shading, emphasizing the figures and their clothing rather than elaborate background detail.
History & Provenance
The artist, George Catlin, was a lawyer‑turned‑painter who spent the 1830s traveling the American frontier, recording Native American life through portraiture and written accounts. This work is part of his extensive series documenting indigenous peoples, produced after his field sketches and observations.
Context
Catlin’s portraits were intended as ethnographic records as much as artistic works, reflecting a period of rapid change for Native communities. By the 1860s, his images served both as visual testimony of disappearing cultures and as a contribution to the broader American folk tradition.
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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