It is aprox 17″ x 22″ and features Native Americans engaging in archery activities. On the lower right it reads Day & Haigne Litho to the Queen, center it is titled ” No 24 Archery of the Mandans, From Catlin North American Indian Collection” and lower right reads Catlin del Stone by McGahey. This great piece of Americana is in excellent condition as it was preserved well in a flat drawer for many years. This one is untouched and in its original black and white state, as it was intended, and not hand colored. It will need a new mat. The First Artist of the American West. Catlin’s upbringing in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania-a crossroads between thecultivated East and the untamed frontier-fueled his lifelong fascination withNative American life. His mother, Polly Sutton, survived captivity during the1778 Battle of Wyoming, a harrowing episode of the Revolutionary War in whichsettlers were attacked by British forces and their Native allies. Her stories, along with the constant flow of trappers, hunters, and settlers passingthrough the region, deeply influenced Catlin’s understanding of the Americanwilderness and the people who called it home. Though Catlin initially followed a traditional path, studying law atLitchfield Law School and practicing briefly in Philadelphia, his artisticpassion and desire to explore the West soon overpowered his legal career. Self-taught as an artist, Catlin found success as a miniaturist portraitist inPhiladelphia before embarking on a transformative journey westward in 1830. During this expedition, he met famed explorer William Clark (of Lewis andClark) in St. Louis, who provided Catlin with invaluable knowledge about theuncharted lands and their inhabitants. Info from Arader Gallery in NY.
