Deep Lake, an Old Chief

About this artwork

In 1830, Catlin accompanied William Clark, of the celebrated Lewis and Clark expedition, up the Mississippi River from St. Louis to Fort Crawford. Before he began more extensive travels in 1832, however, he spent time in eastern cities, where he often saw visiting delegations of Native Americans and was able to paint their portraits. In Washington, D.C., in January and February 1831, Catlin painted Menominee and Seneca delegations, including this portrait of the Ohio Seneca chief Deep Lake. The ...

Art Historical Context

**Deep Lake, an Old Chief** (1831) by Georgelin captures the dignified likeness of a Seneca leader from Ohio, painted during a pivotal moment in American history. Catlin, a pioneering 19th-century artist renowned for his extensive portraits of Indigenous peoples, created this oil painting in Washington, D.C., amid the chief's visit with a tribal delegation. These striking portraits, often rendered with meticulous detail and a sense of immediacy, reflect Catlin mission to document Native cultures before they were irrevocably altered by American expansion. The artwork's historical context is de...

About the Artist

George Catlin · 1796–1872

George Catlin (1796–1872), born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, to Putnam Catlin and Polly Sutton—who had been captured by Native Americans during the 1778 Battle of Wyoming—initially pursued a legal career. Trained at Litchfield Law School, he was admitted to the bar in 1819 but abandoned law after two years to study art in Philadelphia in 1823. Self-taught as a portraitist, Catlin quickly gained ...