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George Catlin (American, 1796–1872),
A Prairie Picnic Disturbed by a Rushing Herd of Buffalo
, 1854
oil on canvas, 18 ¾ x 26 ½ in.; 47.63 x 67.31 cm
Gift of Mr. Carman H. Messmore, 1966.624
Catlin received little formal training as an artist, and his quickly
rendered landscapes and portraits are often more notable for their
spirit than for their accuracy of detail or for beautiful tonalities of
color. But the spirit cannot be denied. The artist’s empathy for his
human subjects and his enthusiasm for Western adventure are always
evident, as in this painting of men endangered by a sudden stampede of
buffalo on a vast prairie.
This scene is from his book Letters and Notes of 1841. Catlin
depicts himself in a hunter’s cap with his two assistants stopping for a
picnic during their journey down the Missouri River. The meal is
dramatically interrupted by a buffalo stampede that is headed straight
for Catlin.
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