The New York herald., 1871-10-27
CATLIN'S IhDIAN CARTOONS.
Exhibition nt the somerville Gallery.

Exhibition at the Someryille Gallery.
Ono Of the most curious and interesting cOlle0-
tiOns that has ever been placed before the public
Is at present on view In the S0mervllle Gallery. II
consists OF upwards Of six hundred original paint
ings in OIL containing more than twenty thousand
figures, representing the manners ana customs OF
race OF men who are disappearing like shadows
before the advance OF civilization and leaving no
trail behind them. In short time the manners
customs and features OF
THE PRIMITIVE INHABITANTS
or this Continent will have become tradition In
view Of this not very remote contingency 1t is OF the
first importance to secure accurate representations
OF their costumes and customs for the instruction Of
posterity Everything connected with the fast
pershing tribes has historic value that 1t would
be difficult to 0verrate, and though Americans to-
day, IN their eager race after wealth, seem but little
Interested In the fate OF the Indian, the time Will
come when the antiquarian and the historian will
visit with the strongest censure the indifference dis
played both by the government and the people to
the preservation OF trustworthy records OF the
Indian nations. In the absence OF public interest
Mr.. Catlin with dev0t on seldom cqualled, has de.
voted the whole OF long and active life to the de-
lneaton OF the habits costumes and customs OF the
various tribes. With zeal and energy that never
tagged Mr. Cstlin wandered through every tribe,
making
SKETCHES OF CHIEFS
and warriors and squays. He has given us most
Interesting pictures OF their social life in almost all
their social relations. He has sat with the chiefs in
the council and smoked the calumet OF peace, and
rode with them on their hunting excursions. shar-
ing their hOspialites their fatgues and their dan
gers and therefore he speaks one with authority
Better known perhaps In Europe than In his native
land by his remarkable work ''The American In
dianS,n which shows the writer to be fu OF
LOVE FOR HIS SUBJECT,
and intimately acquainted with the character OF the
men he describes so wildly he places before Us .
picture of the Indian as he Is found on the pralres
or the pampas. In his wanderings on the North
tribe and selected some Of their peculiar customs
for Illustration, so that his collection presents us
w vxd tsan any pen could CONVEX it Rejects
good deal OF dscredlt on Americans that so lttte
interest s maniies.en ~ s1 ,enersats of the Con-
tinent which are OF such
TO the future historian while the learned OF other
countries arc increasingly laboring to elucidate
whatever Is obscure or doubtful IN the past history
without support or acknowledgment by the govern
ment of his country. and whatever recognition haa
been accorded to him has mostly come from the
sa Is S! Hhs nsss
s auS ;o sssS w.
ana but IN their rsao% ing
people Claims N pSweMs Mr. nays Csn onS 20 TO ignore
private enterprise the care Of preventing
the dispersion OF the collection. This Is
very much to he regretted, as no other man has
ever devoted himself with the same earnestness to
tine study OF Indian customs. In the cartoons al
present on exhibition everything has been sacri-
feed to truth, but there Will be found en0ugi, In
cidental romance to furnish food for the imagina.
ton and relieve the naked portrait character Of
the groups. 1t is truly like
VISIT TO THE RED MEN
to get among Mr.. Catlin's pictures, for we feel AZ
once that oil Is simplicity ana truth. There nc
tricks OF art in the works before US. nor do
they make any pretentions to high art but
only come as simple story OF national
iie passing n.,, away-presentlng themselves Win
with their freshness. The indomitable travel.
ler now IN his seventy. year, has just returned
rom Europe, where his paintings attracted con.
siderable attention, and now places them before
THE AMERICAN PUBLIC.
Ii Is to be hoped that he will receive the patronage
due to his untirng efforts to furnish reliable inOr
nation about the Indian tribes. One OF the most
interesting sketches in the collection Is painting
oil Chicago as IL existed In 1884, when the artist, on
his way TO the pipestonc quarres, stopped at the
hotel, which, with a few frame houses and some
wlgwams OF the Wmnetago Indians, occupied the
site of tne Garden CITY.