Kiowa Chief, His Wife, and Two Warriors 1861 - 1869

George Catlin made this painting of a Kiowa Chief, his wife, and two warriors using watercolor and graphite. As an artist, Catlin was driven by a desire to record what he saw as a vanishing way of life among Native American tribes in the 19th-century United States. But we must look critically at his work in the context of the time, especially in the shadow of the U.S. government’s policies of westward expansion and forced removal. The painting shows the Kiowa people with dignity and individuality, but it also exoticizes them. The visual codes of dress, weaponry, and even skin tone create meaning. Catlin made numerous paintings of Native Americans, and he promoted and exhibited these widely. It is important to ask how these images might have influenced popular perceptions and government policies towards Native Americans at the time. To fully understand this artwork, we can turn to historical archives, ethnographies, and other primary source materials. These resources can provide valuable information about the Kiowa people and the historical context in which Catlin created this painting.