CC0 · no rights reserved
Portrait of a Woman
From the collection of Smithsonian American Art Museum. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
This woman may be George Catlin’s sister, Mary. In this portrait, she wears a decorative lace garment called a bertha and a colorful red shawl that help to soften her rather severe expression. Catlin had no formal training in portraiture, and the New York critic and painter William Dunlap labeled him “utterly incompetent.” Despite this unpromising beginning, Catlin went on to create his celebrated Indian Gallery, documenting the faces, personalities, and tribal rituals of Native Americans.
Smithsonian American Art Museum’s own descriptionSubjects
Credit linePortrait of a Woman. ca. 1825-1830. George Catlin, born Wilkes-Barre, PA 1796-died Jersey City, NJ 1872. Smithsonian American Art Museum, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. David C. Morse. CC0.
