George Catlin
(1796-1872)
WHO HE WAS:
George Catlin was an American painter, author, and traveler who became one of the first artists to document the Native American peoples and the Western United States landscape. With a background in law, Catlin turned to painting, driven by a self-assigned mission to preserve the culture of Native Americans through art.
WHAT HE SAID:
"I love a people who have always made me welcome to the best they had ... who are honest without laws, who have no jails and no poorhouse."
WHY HE MATTERED:
Catlin’s extensive work offers a unique historical account of Native American cultures and the early American frontier. His advocacy for the rights and preservation of Indigenous peoples and their way of life was pioneering for his time.