Mah-tó-che-ga, Little Bear, a Hunkpapa Brave
1832
- Medium
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- 73.7 × 60.9 cm
- Status
- In Museum Collection
- Collect24 Art ID
- C24-136748
George Catlin painted Little Bear at Fort Pierre, on the west bank of the Missouri near what is now known as the Bad River. While the artist worked on this portrait, the Dog, a chief of the Bad Arrow Points Band, noticed that Catlin only showed a three-quarter view of his subject and commented that Little Bear was “but half a man.” The Indians began to argue and after Catlin completed the portrai…
Provenance
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr.
Registry history
- 1832 — Recorded in the collection of Smithsonian American Art Museum
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