Buffalo Chase - Bulls Protecting the Calves

Catlin applied oil pigments directly onto a prepared card surface, then mounted the panel on paperboard for stability. His handling of brushwork conveys swift movement through loose, gestural strokes, while the contrast of darker silhouettes against lighter ground creates a sense of depth and urgency. The palette remains restrained, focusing on earth tones typical of his frontier subjects.

The painting entered the public domain through a series of private collections before being acquired by a regional museum in the early twentieth century.

George Catlin, originally trained as a lawyer, turned to painting after multiple expeditions into the western territories during the 1830s. Though best known for portraiture of Plains Indians, he also recorded the surrounding environment, as seen in this work. The painting entered the public domain through a series of private collections before being acquired by a regional museum in the early twentieth century.