George Catlin Critiqued by His Friend
Heavily annotated by William Henry Shippard, these 6 unbound printed gatherings from George Catlin's Letters and Notes on the Manners, Customs, and Conditions of North American Indians (London, 1844), shed light on the relationship between Catlin and his friend. Capt. William Henry Shippard, avid Mexicanist based in England, actively sought to exhibit Mexican antiquities to the British public, particularly through his work in promoting museum ventures in London. His connection with Catlin is intriguing and deserves further research.
"...my best of friends" - Catlin
While not much is known about Shippard, he seems to be one of a generation of early 19th-century British amateurs who combined a deep interest in Mesoamerican studies with a showman's inclination for promotion. The chief exemplar of this group being William Bullock who used Egyptian Hall in London to stage popular shows on Mexico and other exotic locales, and who was also associated with Catlin. Unlike Bullock however, Shippard apparently never traveled to Mexico. However, we know that Catlin considered Shippard among his "best of friends," which might be due to Shippard's connections to antiquarians and Americanists in England, who Catlin sought out as potential patrons for his Indian Gallery.
Shippard offers several critiques of Catlin's writings in these extensive manuscript notes, written in the margins of unbound printed sheets from Catlin's book. The harshest criticism is reserved for Catlin's comments on Mexican civilization and culture, an area in which Shippard's knowledge likely surpassed Catlin's, for example: Rude Mexican drawings so says Catlin!!!!.
Shippard's commentary is interesting in terms of the Americanist milieu of the time. For instance, he refers to other well-known travelers, including the abovementioned showman William Bullock (one of the first British travelers to Mexico post 1821 independence), John Lloyd Stephens and Frederick Catherwood.
Given the friendship between Shippard and Catlin and their common interest in Native Americans, these annotations by the former are of considerable interest to Catlin specialists. Shippard often makes connections between Catlin's observations of North American tribes and the ancient Mexicans, including his own speculative ideas on the latter. As a scholar of Mexican antiquities, Shippard expresses surprise at Catlin's ignorance of ancient Mexican peoples.
In addition, many of Shippard's notes concern specific portraits or paintings by Catlin, providing fresh primary material for understanding how Catlin's depictions of Native Americans were seen by his peers.
Specifically, these pages comprise printed Letters Nos. 19-27 (pages 129-224) from Catlin's book. The following excepts from the manuscript marginalia indicate the flavor and tone of Shippard's views:
- Blackened Warriors, striking reddened Post.
- Sham fight No. 455, Sham scalp dance No. 456. No. 455 is the Sham fight in the ? and No. 456 the sham scalp dance, although only one plate seems given here. For these things see also Mendoza [Colbenz?]
- Gambling even their liberty away we think Clavigero mentions
- Feasting, fasting
- Sacrificing, Good & Evil Spirit.
- Pawnee formerly sacrificed human beings
- Pawnee similar to Ancient Mexicans human sacrifices formerly.
- Mandans give 8 horses for one white bison skin.
- Mandans raise much corn or maize.... How can they be great agriculturists without recording days proper for sowing seed?
- Game of the arrow, plate 60, no. 435.
- See also Clavigero where mention is made of this game of the Arrow amongst the Mexicans
- Spanish introduction of horses. Horses stray from the Mexican Borders. Horses taken with the Laso see No. 500 in catalogue.
- [referencing a passage by Catlin describing his painting a portrait of Mah-to-toh-pa] There should be a plate of Catlin sketching him. Catlin has since added it being frontispiece to one of the Volumes.
- Head Dress, see mention of same for the Mexican King in Clavigero.
- See for Feathers all down back of Lion Chief page 222 vol. 1 Plate 91, No. 80 in catalogue. See Clavigero. See also representation of same in Agho vol.
- See for Totems Hieroglyphics &c &c vol. 2, page 246. See for Pawnee Astrology, page 248, vol. 2. Also hieroglyphics [attached] pipe...
- This perhaps is the reason of the footmarks in the Mexican painting.
- See also page 232, vol. 1, for Sioux tortures and standing in the sun. See also mention of tortures amongst the Minatarees and other tribes. page 178, vol. 1. See also my French catalogue.
- [referencing Catlin's passage on Madan belief in both a Great (Good) and Evil Spirt] The Mexican offerings to Evil Spirit. Also, Congalese Demon worship.
- How can Mandans be Agriculturists without recording days proper for sowing? ... no word of Days or Weeks
- Nevertheless there is one of the peculiar flat looking skulls in College of Surgeons, London from Titicaca where Manco Capac came from or resided at.
- [in response to Catlin on "cutting scene" ceremony: "A native East Indian told me that tat the festival of the Chivoneka Poojah in Calcutta they only cut the fleshy part of the arm above the elbows with two nails. He told me so 17 Oct. 1841.
- Mention of places cut. The Mexican Paintings give the same.
- Sacrifice of Edge Tools to Water. East India .... fully equal see on Mexican painting representing this in Aghio.
- Mandan, tradition, like Mexican of their coming from inside of earth.
- Mexican tradition of coming from Earth
- All tribes who raise corn have green corn dance
- Rude Mexican drawings so says Catlin!!!!
- Aghio called it like Palenque does. Bullock called it Campeachy face. Waldeck says some women are still like it in Yucatan. Stephens says...Palenque and Catherwood intended to draw them but did not
- Crow head Catlin's opinion of rude ignorant Mexicans!!!! N.B. [manicle]
- See plate of method of crossing river by man swimming it over in Denham & Clapperton. Also mention of swimming with gourds and all sorts of things on Ganges also curious skin canoe Partington. Also inflated skins...
- Polygamy [several references]
Capt. William H. Shippard
While the friendship between Catlin and Shippard is fairly well known, with Catlin himself describing Shippard among his "best of friends" - see Catlin's Notes of Eight Years' Travels and Residence in Europe With His North American Indian Collection (1848), Shippard's career, particularly his role in early 19th-century European museology and his scholarly promotion of Native American culture abroad is not well documented by historians.
Shippard's annotations deserve further research, particularly as they may help scholars better understand the international nature of scholarship focused on Native Americans at the time.
Rarity
A unique item of interest and value for Catlin studies.
Capt. William H. Shippard, a friend of George Catlin and an avid watercolorist and museologist, was also a pioneering British Mesoamericanist. Shippard appears in British newspaper notices from the 1840s as a London-based lecturer who spoke about Native Americans and Mexican antiquities. We know he was a friend of George Catlin, and that he was involved in attempts to organize early London museum exhibitions of Mexican antiquities. In the latter efforts Shippard would seem to coincide with a group of like minded prominent English collectors interested in Mexican topics active during the 1820s and 1830s, including Lord Kingsborough and the bibliomaniac Sir Thomas Phillipps, among others. He seems to have been an armchair anthropologist and would-be museum founder, whose ambitious ideas for a London-based museum never got off the ground - at least not beyond the prospectus-printing stage. Certain aspects of Shippard's career are akin to William Bullock, the showman and connoisseur of Mexican antiquities who actually did travel to Mexico. Bullock published a notable book about his Mexican travels, and achieved a level of recognition in his day as the empresario of London's Egyptian Hall, wherein he thrilled large London audiences with his elaborate exhibitions of exotica, including Mexican items.