Read the visual description
The painting shows two figures riding on horseback from left to right across an open landscape. The composition features a horizon dividing grassy plains from hills in the background. The brushstrokes are detailed, portraying a sense of motion in the figures. The color palette includes warm earth tones for the figures, horses, and nearby surroundings, contrasted with softer greens and yellows in the landscape. The sky is depicted in a gentle blue with streaks of cloud.
National Gallery of Art · Painting
An Osage Indian Pursuing a Camanchee
George Catlin
- Date
- 1861/1869
- Medium
- oil on card mounted on paperboard
- Dimensions
- overall: 46.3 x 62.8 cm (18 1/4 x 24 3/4 in.)
- Classification
- Painting
- Accession number
- 1965.16.71
- Credit line
- Paul Mellon Collection
- Time span
- 1851 to 1875
- Department
- CAB
Subjects and terms
- painted surface
- American
- Native American
- North American Indian
- military
- Horses
- Bow
- American Paintings, Catlin
- Camanchee
- Osage
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.
NGA object ID 50379. 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.