Who painted Members of the Payaguas Tribe?

Members of the Payaguas Tribe was painted by George Catlin in 1862.

Where can I see Members of the Payaguas Tribe?

Members of the Payaguas Tribe is held by National Gallery of Art.

What movement is Members of the Payaguas Tribe?

Members of the Payaguas Tribe is associated with Impressionism.

Artwork

Members of the Payaguas Tribe

George Catlin , 1862

Members of the Payaguas Tribe is an oil painting by the Impressionist 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, the work titled *Members of the Payaguas Tribe* is an oil painting executed on a card that has been affixed to paperboard. The composition presents four figures positioned outdoors, rendered with a light green‑yellow wash that hints at vegetation but remains largely abstract. The piece forms part of George Catlin’s extensive visual record of Native American peoples.

Subject & Meaning

The canvas depicts two men, a boy, and two women from the Payaguas tribe. Both men and the child wear feathered headpieces and necklaces, one man grasping a wooden staff, while the women stand side by side in skirts of fringed material. The emphasis lies on traditional dress and personal adornment, reflecting Catlin’s intent to document cultural identity through direct observation of attire.

Technique & Style

Catlin employed oil pigments on a relatively small card surface, later mounted on sturdier paperboard for support. The brushwork is precise in rendering the figures’ clothing and accessories, yet the background is treated with a loose wash of muted greens and yellows, suggesting a minimal landscape that does not compete with the detailed portraiture.

History & Provenance

An American lawyer‑artist, George Catlin traveled to the western frontier repeatedly in the 1830s, producing a series of portraits that recorded the customs of Plains Indian groups. Although the Payaguas were not a Plains tribe, this painting fits within his broader project of preserving Indigenous cultures through firsthand visual study, created during his later years of field documentation.

Artist & collection

Artist

George Catlin

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.