American artist, author, and traveler (1796–1872) best known for his Indian Gallery, a monumental collection of paintings documenting the quickly vanishing customs, costumes, and cultures of various Native American peoples in their natural environment. Produced by Catlin in the 1830s over the course of five westward journeys to observe his subjects firsthand, the Indian Gallery represents a towering achievement in both American art and ethnography of the 19th century. Superb and exceedingly important ALS signed “Geo. Catlin,” one page both sides, 8.25 x 10.5, April 1, 1846. A retained “Copy of Memorial [memorandum] sent to Congress 1st April,” addressed to “Hon. the Speaker & Members of the House of Representatives.” In part [boldface added]: “The Subscriber a citizen of the U. States & now in Paris, begs leave most respectfully to represent: That his extensive and unique collection of Indian portraits, customs, costumes, weapons &c, the extent and interest of which is familiar to most of your honourable body, and which cost your memorialist the entire labour of eight years of his life, and an expenditure of more than 20,000 dols. in collecting, is now in Paris, and under the flattering patronage of the King has for more than two months past occupied a spacious Hall in the Louvre for the private views of His Majesty & the Royal Family. That in making this collection the subscriber has received no government or individual aid, but entirely unaided, has pursued & completed his design, supported the whole time by the ambition of procuring a full & complete pictorial history of a numerous and interesting race of human beings rapidly sinking into oblivion, encouraged with the confident belief that the collection would be eventually appropriated and protected by the government of his own country, as a monument to a race of people who will soon have yielded up the whole of their country and their existence to the cultivating mass. That the subscriber several years since crossed the Atlantic with his collection, not with a view to alienate himself from his country nor to change the nationality of his collection, but to seek support for a numerous family by its exhibition in London and Paris. That the best evidence of the interest with which his works have been viewed, and of the value that has been set upon his collection in Europe is the fact that several respectable offers have been made for it, but which he has been unwilling to accept until the govt.—of his own country shall have had the opportunity of adding it to the records of the nation; which opportunity it is the object of this memorial to afford. That the collection contains nearly 600 paintings of portraiture and customs of 48 different tribes which he has visited, and the most extensive and valuable collection of costumes, weapons, and other Indian manufactures in the world; to the latter department of which several valuable collections have been added by purchase, in England, and the paintings have been ultimately finished, and all arranged in appropriate & durable frames. That the collection will also contain when fully arranged 40 full length figures, completely costumed, the heads of which are facsimile casts from the life, of distinguished Indians on the frontier of the United States, and coloured to nature. Your memorialist further represents—that during the whole time he has been labouring to make this collection, he has been stimulated by the ambition of making it the nucleus of a Museum of Mankind, to contain, eventually, the records, resemblances, & manufactures of all the diminishing races of native tribes of the human family on various parts of the globe. That the flattering and advantageous proposals now offered to your memorialist for the foundation of such an Institution on this side of the Atlantic and the contemplation of the vigorous part of his life passing away ... are considerations producing much anxiety in his mind.... That in the Congress of 1837 & 1838, a Resolution was offered in the House of Representatives by the Hon. Mr. Briggs of Massachusetts, for its purchase, which Resolution was referred to the committee on Indian Affairs, of which committee the Hon. Mr. Bell of Tennessee was Chairman. That Committee prepared a unanimous report in favour of the purchase, but which report, too near the close of the session, was not acted upon. Your humble memorialist would therefore most respectfully propose at this time, (as the certain means of restoring the collection to the United States, and of securing the ambitious exertion of its author) the sale of the entire collection, as above described for the sum of 65,000 dollars, the same sum as proposed to the Committee in 1838....” As his letter makes clear, Catlin had expended considerable labor and funds in producing his Indian Gallery during the previous decade. Though his primary concern was to keep the collection intact, Catlin also undertook measures to recoup his substantial investment. By the end of the 1830s, he had begun to tour the collection in the U.S. and Europe. Though the works met with much acclaim, the proceeds were insufficient to keep Catlin solvent. Somewhat in conflict with the ennobling purpose of his project, he also presented “entertainments” with Indians performing war dances for white audiences, anticipating the theatricality of the Wild West–style shows that peaked in popularity toward the end of the century. In the 1840s, Catlin was able to bring his efforts to the attention of a wide audience in a number of publications. Manners, Customs, and Condition of the North American Indians (1841) included 300 engravings, while the North American Indian Portfolio (1844), which boasted 25 hand-colored lithographs, remains a high-water mark in the history of American printmaking. Catlin’s efforts to obtain government support were ultimately in vain. Congress failed to act on his proposal, and he was forced to declare bankruptcy in 1852. At that time, Joseph Harrison, a Philadelphia industrialist, settled Catlin’s debts and took possession of the 600-plus works as security. (Catlin spent his final two decades recreating the entire collection from outline sketches, producing the so-called “Cartoon Collection” of duplicates.) Happily for the cultural heritage of the United States, Harrison’s widow donated the entire original Indian Gallery to the Smithsonian Institution—where it still resides— in 1879. Faint intersecting folds, wrinkles to upper corner, and light show-through of ink (very slightly affecting legibility), otherwise fine, clean condition. Given Catlin’s protracted and tireless efforts to obtain government support—which, in fact, became his life’s work once the Indian Gallery was complete—the present letter is a document of exceeding significance and utmost rarity. Indeed, as what may well be the most important letter Catlin ever wrote—so eloquently expressing the aim of his toil and his determination to communicate the real value of his work—the letter itself may well be regarded as a national treasure. Auction LOA John Reznikoff/PSA/DNA and R&R COA.
