George Catlin, 26 Jul 1796 - 23 Dec 1872 Search this
Sitter:
William Clark, 1 Aug 1770 - 1 Sep 1838 Search this
Medium:
Oil on canvas
Dimensions:
72.4 x 59.7cm (28 1/2 x 23 1/2")
Frame: 87.9 x 75.6 x 8.3cm (34 5/8 x 29 3/4 x 3 1/4")
Type:
Painting
Place:
United States\Missouri\Saint Louis City\Saint Louis
Date:
1832
Exhibition Label:
Born Caroline County, Virginia
In 1803, Meriwether Lewis recruited William Clark to colead Thomas Jefferson’s government expedition along the Missouri River, across the Louisiana Purchase, and to the Pacific Ocean. During their expedition (1804–6), Lewis and Clark gathered information that gave the United States an edge in trade and political negotiations. The resulting interest in the West led the government to authorize numerous acts that forced the removal of Native populations.
During his travels to paint portraits of Native Americans, George Catlin visited Clark, a go-to source of information. Having previously served as governor of the Missouri Territory (1812–21), Clark was then superintendent of Indian Affairs in St. Louis (1822–38). Catlin’s painting shows Clark resting his hand on the recently negotiated fourth Treaty of Prairie du Chien (1830), which ceded Indigenous lands to the federal government and established the Nemaha Half-Breed Reservation for descendants of French-Canadian trappers and Indigenous women.
Nacido en Caroline County, Virginia
En 1803, Meriwether Lewis reclutó a William Clark para dirigir ambos una expedición del gobierno de Thomas Jefferson que habría de seguir el río Misuri, cruzar el territorio de Luisiana y llegar al Pacífico. En dicho viaje (1804–6), Lewis y Clark reunieron información que dio a Estados Unidos ventaja en negociaciones políticas y comerciales. Dado el consiguiente interés en el oeste, el gobierno autorizó numerosas leyes que forzaron el desplazo de poblaciones nativas.
Mientras viajaba pintando retratos de nativos americanos, George Catlin visitó a Clark, fuente indispensable de información. Clark había sido gobernador del Territorio de Misuri (1812–21) y era entonces superintendente de Asuntos Indígenas en St. Louis (1822–38). Catlin lo pintó con la mano apoyada en el reciente Cuarto Tratado de Prairie du Chien (1830), que cedía tierras indígenas al gobierno federal y establecía la Reservación de Mestizos de Nemaha para descendientes de tramperos francocanadienses y mujeres indígenas.
Provenance:
Julia Clark Voorhis [1842-1922], St. Louis and New York, granddaughter of sitter; her daughter Eleanor Clark Voorhis [1863-1919]; (Kennedy Galleries); purchased July 20, 1965 by Harold McCracken, Cody, Wyoming; purchased 1971 NPG.
