The Cheyenne Brothers Returning from Their Fall Hunt 1861 - 1869

George Catlin painted "The Cheyenne Brothers Returning from Their Fall Hunt" at an unknown date. The painting engages with the concept of the American West and the romanticized image of Native American life during a period of significant cultural change. Painted during a period of westward expansion and increased contact between European settlers and Native American tribes, the image reflects the cultural and social tensions of the time. We see a staging of a hunt with the teepee in the background and the Cheyenne brothers in the foreground. The painting exoticizes the indigenous population to the point of caricature. The painting served a larger political purpose of attempting to freeze a moment in time, and to suggest that white settlers were coming into an empty land. Understanding this artwork requires careful consideration of the time in which it was produced, examining travel narratives, ethnographic studies, and other historical documents to provide a broader context for its interpretation.