P. Catlin to George Catlin, 1821 Mar. 21. Letter; handwritten; 25 x 40 cm. George Catlin papers, 1821-1890. Archives of American Art.
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Catlin's Notebook #6, ca. 1830s, in which he categorized his paintings by naming them: sporting scenes, amusements, landscapes, landscapes on the Missouri, and manners & customs. The reverse side of this notebook describes in detail a gruesome battle of Máh-to-toh-pa “Four Bears,” second chief of the Mandan Village.

Catlin's Notebook #7, ca. 1830s, containing his notes on native customs and comparisons with other civilizations. This side lists English translations of Indian names from the various tribes.

Letter from Catlin to D. S. Gregory, June 19, 1834. Catlin writes from Fort Gibson, Oklahoma to his brother-in-law, “I start this morning with the Dragoons for the Pawnee country, but God only knows where that is. I am in good health & hope to see you [illegible] in the course of the fall.”

George Catlin, Fort Gibson, Okla. to D. S. Gregory, 1834 Jun. 19. Letter; handwritten; 25 x 20 cm George Catlin papers, 1821-1890. Archives of American Art.

Letter from Catlin to D. S. Gregory, July 19, 1834. He writes from the Dragoon Camp on the Red River:

… I am well and in the daily expectation of an [illegible] interesting meeting with Pawnees and Comanches after which I shall make the quickest march home again that I can hopefully make…The public are expecting that I will see these Indians or I should almost be ready to abandon the expectation & come home.

George Catlin, Red River, N.M. to D. S. Gregory, 1834 July 19. 2 p.; handwritten; 20 x 16 cm George Catlin papers, 1821-1890. Archives of American Art.

Ca. 1840 edition of Catlin’s Indian Gallery catalog which accompanied the London venue.

Full title: A Descriptive Catalogue of Catlin’s Indian Gallery; containing Portraits, Landscapes, Costumes, &c. and Representations of the Manners and Customs of the North American Indians, Collected and Painted Entirely by Mr. Catlin, During Seven Years’ Travel Amongst 48 Tribes, Mostly Speaking Different Languages.

A Descriptive Catalogue of Catlin’s Indian Gallery ... / [ca. 1840]. Exhibition catalog; ill.; 21 x 17 cm George Catlin papers, 1821-1890. Archives of American Art.

Catlin passionately promoted his “Indian Gallery” throughout his career. When initial attempts to sell the Gallery to the United States Congress failed, he took the gallery to Europe, where it received favorable reviews and was well-attended in both London and Paris.

Catlin added a live performance to the exhibition, first with whites posing as Indians and, later, with Iowa and Ojibwa tribe members, becoming the first traveling “Wild West Show.”

In Paris, King Louis Philippe was so taken with the show, he invited the Indians to perform for the royal family and even offered Catlin exhibition space at the Louvre.

Full title: Catalogue Raisonné de Galerie Indienne de Mr. Catlin, refermant Des Portraits, des Paysages, des Costumes, etc., et des Scénes de Moeurs et Coutumes des Indiens de l’Amérique du Nord, 1845.

Catalogue Raisonné de Galerie Indienne de Mr. Catlin ... / George Catlin, [ca. 1840]. Exhibition catalog; ill.; 21 x 17 cm. George Catlin papers, 1821-1890. Archives of American Art.

Receipt Book, 1845, containing notes and receipts for the rental of the Paris hall where the Indian Gallery was exhibited.

[Receipt Book] / George Catlin, 1845. 95 p.; 11 x 19 cm. George Catlin papers, 1821-1890. Archives of American Art.

Letter from Thomas Sully, July 16, 1839, thanking Catlin for his assistance in exhibiting his portrait of Queen Victoria. He asks Catlin for “the slightest sketch of an Indian cradle board … of the plainest sort” and mentions Catlin’s upcoming trip to England.

Thomas Sully, Philadelphia, Pa. to George Catlin, 1839 July 16. 2 p.; handwritten, ill.; 26 x 21 cm. George Catlin papers, 1821-1890. Archives of American Art.

Letter from William H. Seward, October 4, 1839. Seward, then Governor of New York, writes to Catlin with regret for not accepting or responding to his personal invitation to view the gallery. Seward explains that he had “examined the paintings a year or two ago” and offers his support for Catlin’s visit to Europe.

William H. Seward, Albany, N.Y. to George Catlin, 1839 Oct. 4. 2 p.; handwritten; 28 x 23 cm. George Catlin papers, 1821-1890. Archives of American Art.

This petition and attached leaflet, ca. 1872, was one of Catlin’s last appeals to Congress to purchase his Indian Collection for a sum of $65,000 – the same price he asked in 1846. He writes, the sum would

enable me to pay off the heavy liens on the Collection, to reserve a small pittance for my children, to deliver the Collection … and, to devote, whilst I have the strength to do it, the labor requisite to clean, to retouch, and finish and arrange the whole for perpetuity, at my own expense, as the ambition of my life has constantly prompted me to do.

Congress did not purchase the collection and Catlin died that same year.

Petition of George Catlin to Congress / George Catlin, [ca. 1872]. 2 p.; 25 x 16 cm. George Catlin papers, 1821-1890. Archives of American Art.
[Leaflet accompanying Petition of George Catlin to Congress] / George Catlin, [ca. 1872]. 4 p.; ill.; 24 x 15 cm. George Catlin papers, 1821-1890. Archives of American Art.

Created on...11/19/02