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This painting depicts a wide, elevated view of a landscape with figures and animals in the foreground, leading toward a horizon with hills and trees. The sky above shows dynamic, swirling clouds. The brushstrokes are soft yet detailed, creating movement in the scene. The color palette includes warm earth tones like brown, green, and gold, giving the impression of evening or late afternoon. The figures and animals blend naturally with their surroundings.
Read the visual description

This painting depicts a wide, elevated view of a landscape with figures and animals in the foreground, leading toward a horizon with hills and trees. The sky above shows dynamic, swirling clouds. The brushstrokes are soft yet detailed, creating movement in the scene. The color palette includes warm earth tones like brown, green, and gold, giving the impression of evening or late afternoon. The figures and animals blend naturally with their surroundings.

National Gallery of Art · Painting

Bivouac of a Sioux War Party at Sunrise

George Catlin

Date
1861/1869
Medium
oil on card mounted on paperboard
Dimensions
overall: 45.8 x 62.3 cm (18 1/16 x 24 1/2 in.)
Classification
Painting
Accession number
1965.16.18
Credit line
Paul Mellon Collection
Time span
1851 to 1875
Department
CAB
Original NGA record Wikidata

Subjects and terms

  • painted surface
  • American
  • Sunrise
  • North American Indian
  • military
  • American Paintings, Catlin
  • Sioux
  • landscape
  • War Party
  • Bivouac
  • Platte River
Provenance

George Catlin [1796-1872]; by descent to his daughters, Clara Gregory Catlin, Louise Catlin Kinney, and Elizabeth Wing Catlin; purchased 1912 from Elizabeth Wing Catlin by the American Museum of Natural History; sold 1959 through (Kennedy Galleries, New York) to Mr. Paul Mellon, Upperville, VA; gift 1965 to the NGA.

Inscription

lower left on card: A/109; upper center on board on applied paper: 236; upper center reverse in graphite, circled: 236

NGA object ID 50326. Collection metadata is reproduced under CC0. This work is included because its NGA published-image record is marked open access; visitors should recheck the source record before substantial reuse.