Portraits of a Grizzly Bear and Mouse, Life Size

About this artwork

George Catlin included two grizzly bears in the eight tons of material for his Indian Gallery that he brought to England in 1839. But the bears were destructive pests and Catlin eventually sold them to London’s Zoological Gardens in October, 1840. European audiences had to content themselves with life-size portraits such as this, in which the presence of a familiar, if bold, little mouse establishes the bear’s huge size.

Art Historical Context

George Catlin’s “Portraits of a Grizzly Bear and Mouse, Life Size” captures the artist’s fascination with the American West during the mid-nineteenth century. Known for his extensive travels among Native American tribes, Catlin assembled an ambitious “Indian Gallery” that included live animals alongside paintings and artifacts. He transported two grizzly bears across the Atlantic in 1839 as part of an eight-ton collection displayed in England, yet the bears proved too unruly and were sold to the London Zoological Gardens in 1840. Painted between 1846 and 1848, this work offered European audiences a vivid substitute for the living creatures they could no longer see. Catlin rendered the bear at actual scale, allowing viewers to grasp its imposing size through the clever inclusion of a small, fearless mouse at its feet. The contrast not only emphasizes the animal’s massive proportions but also adds a touch of humor and relatability to an otherwise exotic subject. Now part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s collection, the painting reflects Catlin’s broader mission to document and share the natural wonders of North America with international audiences. Its straightforward yet dramatic presentation continues to draw attention to the scale and character of wildlife that once roamed the American frontier.

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 ...