Sign In

Catlin's Winter Buffalo Hunt

Original hand-colored lithograph from George Catlin's great colorplate book of the American West, the North American Indian Portfolio. The print portrays a winter buffalo hunt, emphasizing the ingenuity and resourcefulness of Native American hunters using snowshoes to navigate a snowy landscape while pursuing their quarry.  Buffalo Hunt on Snow Shoes is part of what the noted Americana Bookseller Bill Reese described as "the most lavish series of prints of the American West in the frontier era." Catlin, a Pennsylvania-born lawyer turned artist and ethnographer, dedicated his life to documenting the lives and cultures of Native American tribes during a time of profound change and displacement.

The action, in the artist's own words:

In this plate is illustrated the mode of the Indians hunting in the depth of the winter, running on their snow-shoes, which support them on the surface of the snow, whilst the great weight of the buffalo and other animals sinks them down and fastens them in the drifts of the snow - George Catlin, North American Indian Portfolio. 

Catlin's works are rooted in his belief that Native American culture was both noble and fragile. He famously wrote about his mission to document their way of life after encountering tribal chiefs in Philadelphia: "The history and customs of such a people, preserved by pictorial illustrations, are themes worthy of the lifetime of one man, and nothing short of the loss of my life shall prevent me from visiting their country and becoming their historian." His art captures both the vibrancy and the vulnerability of these communities, reflecting his perception that their traditional ways of life were under threat.

These beautiful views of scenes in Indian life are probably the most truthful ever presented to the public... and as no one was ever better fitted by experience and facility of power to secure upon the canvas all that would interest us in aboriginal life, these prints will remain, probably as long as their fabric lasts, the best delineations of its scenes - Field.

From 1832 to 1837, Catlin traveled extensively, sketching Native American tribes during the summer and completing his oil paintings in winter. These works, which formed the basis of the North American Indian Portfolio, are notable not only for their artistic quality but also for the sympathetic understanding they demonstrate. This particular lithograph stands as a poignant memorial to a disappearing Native American way of life.

Catlin described Native Americans as “honest, hospitable, faithful, brave, warlike, cruel, revengeful, relentless, -- yet honourable, contemplative and religious beings.” This complex characterization underscores the depth of his engagement with his subjects and his recognition of their humanity, even as he foresaw the tragic loss of their cultural identity.

Editions and Issues

The most complete treatment of the various editions and issues of the North American Indian Portfolio was compiled by William S. Reese, who identified a total of 12 issues of the work produced during the period 1844-1876. The present plate, hand-colored and issued on thick paper stock, is likely from the first edition of 1844, issued in London with the plates either tinted or hand-colored. This edition is noted as the only version actually issued by Catlin - economic pressures eventually leading him to relinquish the copyright to the major London publisher Henry G. Bohn. The colored version of the first edition is characterized by the plates "having only the lightest of background tints under the coloring."