Discovery Dance - Saukie

Executed in oil on card, the work features earthy tones and detailed rendering, with figures arranged in dynamic poses, characteristic of Catlin's observational and illustrative approach.

Created during Catlin's later period, following multiple trips to the American West in the 1830s, where he produced seminal records of Plains Indian life; his earlier work included New York State landscapes published in an early lithographed book.

Part of a broader body of work by Catlin aimed at documenting Native American life on the frontier, contributing to a visual archive of Indigenous cultural practices during a period of significant change.

Contributes to Catlin's legacy as a key documentarian of 19th-century Native American life, with his works remaining important historical and cultural records.