Buffalo Hunt, Approaching A Ravine, Catlin 1844 ORIGINAL LITHOGRAPH

Buffalo Hunt Plate No. 11 shows three hunters approaching a ravine where they can better observe a herd of buffalo that are grazing peacefully seemingly unaware they are about to be hunted. From George Catlin’s ( 1796 – 1872 ) The North American Indian Portfolio: Hunting Scenes and Amusements of the Rocky Mountains and Prairies of America published in London by Day and Hague 1844. Catlin a painter and writer, clearly recognized the demise of the American Indian tribes and was determined to record their history and customs thru his art. He spent most of his adult life traveling extensively throughout the United States living with and visiting as many Tribes as he could find. He eventually had a an exhibit of over 600 paintings and wrote many books on the Indian culture of North America. He truly believed and rightly so, that the Native American peoples were “…by nature a kind and hospitable people…” and “that the Indian’s misfortune has consisted chiefly in our ignorance of their true native character and disposition, which has always held us at a distrustful distance from them”. Catlin’s goals were never realized in his life time but today we are fortunate to at least have this incredible record of a history worth telling. In an attempt to reach a larger audience with his message he had some of his greatest images published in the North American Indian Portfolio of which this image is one. This lithograph is beautifully framed and is in very good condition. A rare and exceptional opportunity to own a piece of our heritage.