Synopses & Reviews
George Catlin has been called the “first artist of the West,” even though he was neither the first to paint Indians nor to work west of the Mississippi. He created close to 600 portraits—images of individual chiefs, warriors, braves, squaws, and children of more than thirty tribes of the northern plains. After a failed start in Philadelphia as a portrait painter of miniatures, he became convinced that his destiny lay in seizing the images of Native Americans—on the verge of extinction by genocide (his word). In 1839, Catlin began showing “live” Indians, troupes of Iowa and Ojibbwa. In the process, he changed from artist to showman and from advocate to exploiter of his performers. Tragedy afflicted both Catlin and his Indians. The artist endured an endless series of disasters, including a stay in debtor’s prison and the seizure of all his works.
Review
"Engrossing...An elegant and skillful writer, Eisler captures Catlin's many roles and notes how, even today, he remains a 'contentious' figure." Publishers Weekly
Review
"A sparkling biography of the artist and impresario George Catlin, so much an American original that he lived most of his life abroad. Rich in exceptional feats, odd twists, and wrong turns, captivates completely." Stacy Schiff, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Cleopatra: A Life
Review
"Through her impeccable scholarship, Benita Eisler masterfully illuminates the tragic life of 19th Century artist George Catlin, America's forgotten portraitist of Native American life. is that rare kind of 'warts and all' history, showing the real Catlin while successfully making the case for his elevation to the pantheon of great American artists." Amanda Foreman, author of A World on Fire
Review
"An elegant, thoughtful new biography." Kate Tuttle
Review
"Marvelous ... wonderfully nuanced and compelling ... Ms. Eisler's book is far and away the best biography of Catlin in existence." Boston Globe
Review
"Pitch-perfect... [Eisler] is a skilled writer, showing both flair and economy." Jonathan Lopez Wall Street Journal
Review
"[A] lively and well-researched biography." Tim Bross Saint Louis Post-Dispatch
Synopsis
George Catlin has been called the first artist of the West, as none before him lived among and painted the Native American tribes of the Northern Plains. After a false start as a painter of miniatures, Catlin found his calling: to fix the image of a vanishing race before their extermination his word by a government greedy for their lands. In the first six years of the 1830s, he created over six hundred portraits unforgettable likenesses of individual chiefs, warriors, braves, squaws, and children belonging to more than thirty tribes living along the upper Missouri River.
Political forces thwarted Catlin s ambition to sell what he called his Indian Gallery as a national collection, and in 1840 the artist began three decades of self-imposed exile abroad. For a time, his exhibitions and writings made him the most celebrated American expatriate in London and Paris. He was toasted by Queen Victoria and breakfasted with King Louis-Philippe, who created a special gallery in the Louvre to show his pictures. But when he started to tour live troupes of Ojibbewa and Iowa, Catlin and his fortunes declined: He changed from artist to showman, and from advocate to exploiter of his native performers. Tragedy and loss engulfed both.
This brilliant and humane portrait brings to life George Catlin and his Indian subjects for our own time. An American original, he still personifies the artist as a figure of controversy, torn by conflicting demands of art and success.
"
Synopsis
A biography of the greatest artist to live with, and record images of, more than thirty tribes of the northern plains.
Synopsis
George Catlin has been called the "first artist of the West," even though he was neither the first to paint Indians nor to work west of the Mississippi. He created close to 600 portraits--images of individual chiefs, warriors, braves, squaws, and children of more than thirty tribes of the northern plains. After a failed start in Philadelphia as a portrait painter of miniatures, he became convinced that his destiny lay in seizing the images of Native Americans--on the verge of extinction by genocide (his word). In 1839, Catlin began showing "live" Indians, troupes of Iowas and Ojibbwa. In the process, he changed from artist to showman and from advocate to exploiter of his performers. Tragedy afflicted both Catlin and his Indians. The artist endured an endless series of disasters, including a stay in debtor's prison and the seizure of all his works.
Synopsis
The first biography in over sixty years of a great American artist whose paintings are more famous than the man who made them.
About the Author
Benita Eisler's subject is the life and work of artists, and their worlds. She has written on the Romantics, Byron, Chopin, and George Sand, and is the author of a dual biography of early modernists Georgia O’Keeffe and Alfred Stieglitz. She lives in New York City.