40 Famous Iowans - George Catlin

George Catlin’s interest in Native American customs was sparked at a young age. Born and raised in Pennsylvania, he was told stories of the Native Americans on the western frontier by his mother. This ignited an interest which turned into a lifelong career. After a Native American delegation stopped in Philadelphia, Catlin started studying and following what he called the “vanishing race”. Catlin spent his time traveling the west documenting Native Americans and their customs throughout the 1830s. Also during these years, he traveled Europe spending time with Native Americans who remained relatively untouched by European civilization.

From these experiences, Catlin created numerous paintings and published several books. His artwork provides a look into the life of the Native Americans including how they dressed and many of their customs. One of Catlin’s best-known writings was “Adventures of the Ojibbeway and Ioway Indians”.

After his travels, Catlin created a traveling museum where he gave public lectures about his various paintings and shared stories from his own experiences with the tribes. One of his ultimate dreams was to have the U.S. government buy his paintings so his life’s work would be preserved. Today, hundreds of his paintings are on display in museums around the country, including several hundred in the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.

Without George Catlin’s insightful paintings, people today would know much less about Native American dress and customs. This vivid artwork of Native American families and their customs, offers us a great history lesson of the time.