Sha-có-pay, The Six, Chief of the Plains Ojibwa
George Catlin · 1832
Why it's great
A portrait of an Ojibwe chief in splendid clothes and feathers. George Catlin traveled across the American West in the 1830s to paint Native Americans, because he feared their ways of life were disappearing. His paintings give a rare record of the people he met. It's a dignified portrait.
Where to see it
📍 Smithsonian American Art MuseumWashington, D.C., United States
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George Catlin was born in Pennsylvania and trained as a lawyer before becoming a painter. In the 1830s he traveled across the American West to paint portraits of Native Americans and their lives. He hoped to preserve a record of cultures he feared would disappear. He died in New Jersey in 1872.
