A Crow Village of Skin Tents on the Salmon River 1855 - 1869

George Catlin created this painting of a Crow village on the Salmon River using oil on canvas. Catlin’s choice of materials places him squarely within the tradition of Western art, yet his subject matter lies far beyond it. Consider the labor involved in creating the Crow village he depicts: each skin tent represents countless hours of hunting, tanning, and sewing. The very materiality of these structures speaks volumes about the Crow people’s resourcefulness and deep connection to the land, and their sustainable way of life stands in stark contrast to the extractive economies of the encroaching settlers, and Catlin’s own dependence on manufactured art supplies. Catlin’s paintings, including this one, were not just ethnographic records, but also commodities, made for consumption in the East. This tension is palpable, inviting us to reflect on the complex relationship between artist, subject, and the wider world of 19th-century America.