Cedar Bluffs 1861 - 1869

George Catlin made this painting, "Cedar Bluffs," with oil on canvas board, sometime in the 19th century. Catlin made paintings like this one as records of his travels through the American West. He aimed to document the appearance and customs of Native American tribes, and the territories they inhabited. But the politics of imagery were unavoidable, and what at first appears a straightforward scene is anything but. Catlin's work was made in a period of intense conflict, white settlers were pushing westward, displacing indigenous populations and depleting natural resources. How do we see this history reflected in the painting? Is it a celebration of untouched wilderness, or a lament for a disappearing way of life? Historians rely on sources like letters, diaries, and government documents to reconstruct the complex history of the American West. Art can help us understand the social and institutional contexts that shaped it.