Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-01-30
claims growing out of MS numerous il
VeStmentS.

claims growing out of his numerous IN
VeStmentS.
Joseph Harrison, jr., of Philadelphia, a
liberal and patriotic American, being at
the time in London, made advances to
Mr.. Catlin to meet his liabilities. and as
security took charge of the pictures. The
collection remained in the possession of
the Harrison family, having been re-
moved meanwhile to Philadelphia, until
it's presentation by Mrs Joseph Harrison
to the National Museum. Even in it's re-
tired position in the Harrison mansion
it experienced vicissitudes and dangers
which threatened it's destruction, having,
among other mshaps, passed through
two severe fires. 1t is worthy of remark
that the unfortunate artist himself Of
fered the collection to the Smithsonian
authorities in 1916.
In an Introduction to the catalogue or
his pictures, which issued during
their exhibition abroad as well as in this
country, Catlin thus states the objects of
his life work and the difficulties which at
tended it:
Il wish to inform the visitors to my
collection that. having some years since
become fully convinced of the rapid de-
cline and certain extinction CT the numer-
Gus tribes Of the North American Indians.
and seeing also the vast Importance and
value which full pictorial history of
these interesting but dying people might
be to future ageS-I set out alone, I'M
aided and unadvised, resolved Of my life
should be spared) by the aid of my brush
and my pen to rescue from oblivion so
much of their primitive look and customs
as the industry and ardent enthusiasm of
one lifetime could accomplish, and set
them up in a gallery, unique and i'm
periShable, for the use ana benent OF
future ages.
Il devoted eight years of my life eX-
clusively to the accomplishment of my
design, and that with more than ex-
pected success.
II visited with great difficulty and some
hazard to life forty-eight tribes (residing
within the United States, British and
Mexican territories), containing about
JOO,Go0 souls. I have seen them in their
own villages, have carried my canvas and
colorS the whole way. and painted my
portraits. etc, from the life as they now
stand and are seen in the gallery.
LAS this immense collection has been
gathered and every painting has been
made from nature by my own hand
and that, too, when 1 have been padding
my canoe or leading my packhorse over
and through trackless wilds at the hazard
of my lfe-the world will surely be kind
and indulgent enough to receive and esti-
mate them, as they have been intended,
as true and facsimile traces of individual
life and historical facts, and forgive me
for their present unfinished and unstudied
condition as works of art
x x
Among the numerous romantic and
curious incidents attaching to the history
of the Catlin collection is the identfica-
ton by a French scientist. with the aid
Of these portraits, of a Roman sculpture
in the Louvre as a representation of
North American Indian. Dating from the
first century before the Christian era, the
sculpture in question. should the view Of
NJ de Cueleneer be correct. is of unique
interest as being a portrait of a prehis-
tronic American. The Roman relic, which
is distinctly different from all other
known specimens of classic portraiture. is
entered on the Louvre catalogue as No.