¥George Catlin (July 26, 1796 - December 23, 1872) was an American painter, author and traveler who specialized in portraits of Native Americans in the Old West. He was born in Wilkes-Barre, PA. Following a brief career as a
lawyer, he produced two major collections of paintings of American Indians and
published a series of books chronicling his travels among the native peoples of North,
Central and South America. Claiming his interest in AmericaÕs 'vanishing race' was sparked by a
visiting American Indian delegation in
È
Philadelphia, he set out to record the appearance
and customs of AmericaÕs native
people.