The image shows a landscape scene framed in an oval shape. The view includes a native encampment with conical structures scattered across a grassy field. A hill in the background slopes gently upwards towards the horizon. The painting features smooth brushstrokes and realistic yet softly idealized vegetation and sky. The color palette consists of warm greens, browns, and earthy tones for the land, while the sky transitions from light blue to soft peach. In the distance, gentle hills fade into the background under a tranquil sky. The oval frame and muted border add to the serene quality of the scene.
Read the visual description

The image shows a landscape scene framed in an oval shape. The view includes a native encampment with conical structures scattered across a grassy field. A hill in the background slopes gently upwards towards the horizon. The painting features smooth brushstrokes and realistic yet softly idealized vegetation and sky. The color palette consists of warm greens, browns, and earthy tones for the land, while the sky transitions from light blue to soft peach. In the distance, gentle hills fade into the background under a tranquil sky. The oval frame and muted border add to the serene quality of the scene.

National Gallery of Art · Painting

A Small Cheyenne Village

George Catlin

Date
1861/1869
Medium
oil on card mounted on paperboard
Dimensions
overall: 45.7 x 62.2 cm (18 x 24 1/2 in.)
Classification
Painting
Accession number
1965.16.41
Credit line
Paul Mellon Collection
Time span
1851 to 1875
Department
CAB

Subjects and terms

  • painted surface
  • American
  • Village
  • American Paintings, Catlin
  • North American Indian
  • architecture
  • Cheyenne
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/134; upper center on board on applied paper: 402; reverse in graphite: 402

NGA object ID 50349. 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.