Glacier County chief., 1940-09-13
By WALTER E. TAYLOR

By WALTER E. TAYLOR
In the vast sales galleries of Knoed-
Ter &, Co.. famous New York art deal
ers, there recently was hung an exhi-
bition of paintings by George Catlin.
who has been called 'Montana's first
press agent" The pictures were paint
ed nearly 100 years ago but had never
are IL paintings in the group and to
students of Americana the exhibition
was an exciting event, for very few
persons even knew Of the existence
of the pictures.
Catlin, the artist who painted in the
upper Missouri river country in the
1906, probably turned over in his grave
time most art critics were quite frank
in stating that he couldn't draw.
Therefore 1t would be a real surprise
to the artist and his contemporaries
to learn that Catlin pictures were
hanging in the galleries of Knoedler's,
the walls Of which have known the
works of nearly every great artist in
Paul Gauguin. Hanging with the Cat
lin pictures in Knoedler's are Gains
boroughS and Whistlers which have
been taken from English country houses
to be sold to pay British war taxes.
Catlin, like so many other artists, had
to be dead a few decades before his
pictures were considered good enough
to be hung in such fine company.
The exhibition of this little known
group Of Catlin pictures has been con-
sidered important enough to warrant
lengthy comment from the New York
Times and other metropolitan news
papers. 1t Is interesting to note that
in mentioning Catlin several writer's
speak of the artist as having been born
in the state of Wyoming, although
when Catlin was born in 1876 the state
lin was born in Wyoming, another Wy
oming, the Wyoming valley OF Penn
SylVania.
The Catlin pictures now on sale by
Knoedler & Co. were painted on order
for Col. Samuel Colt, head of the
! famous Colt arms firm. There was
considerable competition between the
various arms companies Of the day as
to which would supply the United
States government. with guns for the
Indian campaigns in the west and Colt
asked Catlin to paint a series OF II
pictures demonstrating the superiority
of Colt guns This was in 1854 and
; Catlin painted the pictures from
sketches he had made in his travels in
the west and in South America. One
of the most interesting pictures in the
group is that which pictures buffalo
hunt and shows the superiority of guns
over the bow and arrow. In the picture
white hunter with a gun is having
great success in downing buffalo while
his Indian companions are not making
any kills at all with their bows and
arrows. One wonders if Catlin did not
paint this bit of commercial art with
his tongue in his cheek, for his ex-
perience with the Grow and Blackfeet
Indians had taught him that the In
dams could hunt successfully with their
crude weapons. Catlin himself had
hunted buffalo with these Indians on
/ numerous occasions and had even pic
tured the Indians making kills with
bows and arrows.
! Another picture shows a white man
/ demonstrating gun to group of awe
| struck Indians, some OF whom are
crawling away in fear. This picture, too,
1 is contradictory Of the real Catlin, for
! he was a great friend of the Indians
/ and would himself never have been
guilty of frightening the savageS as
the white man in the picture is doing.
But even Catlin had to bow to COM
mercialism and the Colt company was
interested only in advertising their
wares. The company's guns had been
used with considerable success in the
Seminole war in Florida in 1887 and
the company hoped to sell the govern
nent more guns for further Indian
wars in the west.
The IL pictures Of the Colt commits
sion were painted between 1854 and
1857 and many prints were made for
use with Colt advertising. One of the
prints of The Buffalo Hunt" hangs
in the New York offices of the Colt
/ company today. Other prints from the
Colt group are treasured possessions
of collectors of Americana.
The originals of the Colt group were
hung in the Colt mansion, "Armsmear,
at Hartford, Conn, and later. prob
ably when the decor Of the mansion
was done over to comply with Victorl-
an styles, the pictures were put in the
attic of another Colt residence at New
port, r. l. 1t was from this attic that
they were taken to knCedler & Co.
and their appearance has caused other
eastern families to rummage their at
tics for further examples of Catlin's
work, for it is known that he painted
advertising pictures for several firms
to finance his painting expeditions t.
tropical America.
Officials of Knoedler's have said the
Colt group will be sold only to a buyer
who will take the entire group of u