George Catlin

1796-1872

American (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)

George Catlin was born July 26, 1796, in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. In 1823, he moved to Philadelphia, and set himself up as a professional portrait painter. The turning point in his career came in 1829, when he saw a delegation of Native American people from the West. He was so impressed by the group that he determined to devote himself to painting indigenous people and their way of life in their own territories. In the 1830s he spent considerable time among the Native tribes of the Plains and the Northwest.