Artwork
Menomonie Chief, His Wife, and Son
Menomonie Chief, His Wife, and Son is an oil painting by the American Folk Art artist George Catlin. It dates from 1865 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1865, the oil painting on card mounted to paperboard portrays a Menominee family—a chief, his wife, and their son—standing together in an open landscape. The work reflects George Catlin’s focus on documenting Native American subjects during his 19th‑century travels.
Subject & Meaning
The composition centers on three figures: two male figures clad in traditional regalia with elaborate feathered headdresses and beadwork, and a woman to their right wrapped in a pink shawl. Their stance in the field suggests a familial bond and a presentation of cultural identity.
Technique & Style
Catlin employed oil pigments on a sturdy card support, later affixed to paperboard, a method common among folk‑art practitioners of the period. The painting balances detailed rendering of clothing and accessories with a simplified, flat treatment of the cloudy sky background.
History & Provenance
Originally executed by Catlin, a former lawyer who turned to painting, the piece forms part of his extensive series of Native American portraits produced after his 1830s expeditions into the western territories. Its current location and ownership history remain documented within American folk‑art collections.
Context
The work belongs to the broader American folk‑art tradition, wherein itinerant artists recorded the lives and dress of Indigenous peoples. Catlin’s portraits served both as ethnographic records and as visual narratives for audiences unfamiliar with western cultures.
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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