EXPLORATIONS - George Catlin, Part 1

By Paul Thompson

VOICE ONE:

This is Mary Tillotson.

VOICE TWO:

And this is Steve Ember with the VOA Special English program EXPLORATIONS. A new exhibit of paintings
is being shown at the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Renwick Gallery in Washington, D-C. Today, we
tell about the man who painted them. His name was George Catlin. And in this first part of two programs, we tell
how he became one of the most important artists in American history.

((THEME)))

VOICE ONE:

George Catlin loved people. He loved their faces. He loved to paint faces expressing
feelings. He understood how to paint feelings. You can look at one of his paintings of a
person and see pride, honor, respect, intelligence and humor. George Catlin is most
famous for painting Native Americans.

In the eighteen-thirties, George Catlin traveled into areas of the
American West to paint and record the history of Native
Americans. He learned more about the culture of Native

Americans than most other white people of his time. George Catlin spent a good part of
his life trying to show these people to the world.

VOICE TWO:

George Catlin showed his paintings in Washington, D-C; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and
New York City. Thousands of people came to see them. Thousands more came to see
them in London, England and in the famous Louvre Museum in Paris, France. George
Catlin probably did more than any other person to educate the public about the great
people who lived in North America before Europeans arrived.

We begin our story just a few years after George Catlin was born, in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. He was born in
seventeen-ninety-six. His family soon moved to New York State near the great Susquehanna River.

((MUSIC BRIDGE))

VOICE ONE:

George Catlin always said his early years were fun. He said he had to have a book in
one hand because he was in school. In the other hand he most often had a fishing
pole. When he was not reading or fishing, he was drawing the natural world he saw
outside each day. George Catlin had little training in art. He mostly taught himself.
However, his father made sure that he had a good education.

His father was a lawyer and he wanted George to be a lawyer too. George did as his father wished and became a
lawyer. However he was not happy.

VOICE TWO:

As a young man George Catlin was only happy when he was painting. He truly loved to paint. He decided¹ to stop

''Jú-ah-kís-gaw,
Woman with Her Child
in a Cradle,'' 1835
''Pigeon's Egg Head
(The Light) Going to
and Returning from
Washington,'' 1837–
39
''Comanche Feats² of
Horsemanship,'' 1834–35

being a lawyer and become an artist. He moved into a small building in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and began to
paint pictures of people.

He was good at this and he loved the work. He painted very small pictures of people. The pictures are called
miniatures³. Women often wore this kind of painting tied to a ribbon around their necks. Soon, he moved to New
York City. He painted miniatures and larger pictures. He was becoming a well-known artist. He began painting
pictures of important people. One was the governor of the state of New York, DeWitt Clinton.

Life seemed good for the young artist. George Catlin was doing what he loved and he was making a living as an
artist. However, he thought something was missing from his life and his work. He wanted very much to paint
something that was important.

He wanted to give something to the world of art that would be different. But he had no idea what this could
possibly be.

VOICE ONE:

In the eighteen-twenties, George Catlin saw something that would change his life forever. It was a delegation⁴ of
Native Americans. About fifteen representatives from several tribes⁶ were passing through Philadelphia. They
were on their way to Washington, D-C to meet with the president of the United States.

George Catlin had never seen anything like these Native Americans. Their skin was the color of the metal copper⁷.
Their hair and eyes were dark black. They wore clothes made of animal skins. They seemed fierce and
dangerous.

Within a few days, George Catlin made an important decision. He told his family and friends he would study and
paint Native Americans. His family was opposed to the idea. They told him it was extremely dangerous. They
told him he might be killed. George Catlin answered his friends and family. He said, “Nothing but the loss of
my life will prevent me from visiting their country and becoming their historian⁸.
”

((MUSIC BRIDGE))

VOICE TWO:

In eighteen-thirty, George Catlin traveled to the city of Saint⁹ Louis, Missouri, near the Mississippi River. At that
time Saint Louis was one of the last cities or towns you would find if you were traveling west. There was not
much beyond Saint Louis but the Great Plains. There was nothing but wild, unexplored country. The country
beyond Saint Louis could be extremely dangerous. Few white people had ever been further than Saint Louis.

However, George Catlin met someone who knew about the lands of the far West and had been there. He also
knew many of the Native American tribes that George Catlin wanted to visit. That man was William Clark.

Twenty-six years before, William Clark was part of the famous team of Lewis and Clark who were the first white
Americans to explore the far West. They had traveled from Saint Louis to the Pacific Ocean and back.

VOICE ONE:

George Catlin immediately had a friend in William Clark. Mister Clark liked his idea of painting and learning
about Native Americans.

He did not think George Catlin’s idea was dangerous. He did his best to help. General William Clark was the
United States Superintendent¹⁰ of Indian Affairs. He immediately took Mister Catlin along on a trip up the
Mississippi River to a place called Prairie du Chien. Here George Catlin saw a gathering¹¹ of Native American
tribes. He saw their clothes. He watched them and learned about their culture. He listened to their language. This
trip was important to George Catlin because it strengthened his idea and plans to learn about and paint pictures of
Native Americans.

VOICE TWO:

George Catlin quickly returned home to Philadelphia to raise money for his project. Within a year he traveled


west again. This time he went north to Fort¹² Union in an area called the Dakotas. Here he set up his painting
equipment and began to paint.

He said of this experience, “I have this day been painting a picture of the head chief of the Blackfoot nation. He
is surrounded by his own warriors¹³. He is an important man.
”

The man George Catlin painted that day was named Stu-mick-o-sucks. He was chief of the Blood Tribe⁵ of the
Kainai Blackfoot. George Catlin said the Blackfoot were a fierce and war-like tribe. They lived in the area that is
now the border between the United States and Canada.

VOICE ONE:

The beautiful painting of Stu-mick-o-sucks shows this fierce chief at the height of his powers. The chief of the
Blood Tribe was about thirty years old when George Catlin painted his picture.

His face is a deep copper color. He has red paint on his jaw¹⁴. His eyes are intelligent and watchful¹⁵. His black hair
hangs down to his shoulders. Part of his hair falls down between his eyes and is cut straight across. A head
covering made of small feathers surrounds his hair. One large feather is worn to the right side of his head.

Stu-mick-o-sucks is dressed in his best clothing for this painting. It is clothing that he
would wear for special ceremonies. On his chest is a round design made with several
colors. The shoulders of his shirt are covered with pieces of cloth and hair to form other
designs.

George Catlin captured in paint a man of honor and courage, a leader of his people. The
artist had wanted to go west to paint Native Americans. With this painting and the many
that were to follow, George Catlin succeeded. He had found his life’s work.

((THEME))

VOICE TWO:

Join us again next week when we continue the story of George Catlin and his efforts to paint the people of the
American West. If you have a computer that can link to the Internet, you can see Mister Catlin’s famous
painting of Blackfoot Chief Stu-mick-o-sucks and many others.

Use a search engine and type the name George Catlin, C-A-T-L-I-N. Or type Renwick Gallery, R-E-N-W-I-C-K.

This program was written by Paul Thompson. It was produced by Caty Weaver¹⁶. Our engineer was Keith Holmes.
I’m Steve Ember.

VOICE ONE:

And I’m Mary Tillotson. Join us again next week for EXPLORATIONS, a program in Special English on the
Voice of America.

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''Stu-mick-o-súcks,
Buffalo Bull's Back Fat,
head chief, Blood
Tribe,'' 1832

1 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

2 feats   

功绩，伟业，技艺( feat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He used to astound his friends with feats of physical endurance. 过去，他表现出来的惊人耐力常让朋友们大吃一惊。
• His heroic feats made him a legend in his own time. 他的英雄业绩使他成了他那个时代的传奇人物。

3 miniatures   

微型复制品( miniature的名词复数 )； 微小模型； 微型画； 微型人像画

参考例句：

• The art of portrait miniatures was originated in England. 微型画像艺术创始于英国。
• Mr. Hunter collects early English miniatures. 亨特先生收藏早期英国人物小画像。

4 delegation   

n.代表团；派遣

参考例句：

• The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
• We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。

5 tribe   

n.部落，种族，一伙人

参考例句：

• This is a subject tribe.这是个受他人统治的部落。
• Many of the tribe's customs and rituals are as old as the hills.这部落的许多风俗、仪式都极其古老。

6 tribes   

n.部落( tribe的名词复数 )；（动、植物的）族；（一）帮；大群

参考例句：

• tribes living in remote areas of the Amazonian rainforest 居住在亚马孙河雨林偏远地区的部落
• In Africa the snake is still sacred with many tribes. 非洲许多部落仍认为蛇是不可冒犯的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 copper   

n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的

参考例句：

• The students are asked to prove the purity of copper.要求学生们检验铜的纯度。
• Copper is a good medium for the conduction of heat and electricity.铜是热和电的良导体。

8 historian   

n.历史学家，编史家

参考例句：

• As a historian,he was most typical of the times in which he lived.作为历史学家，他是他所处时代最有代表性的人物。
• He calls himself a historian,but his books are a mere journalism.他自称为历史学家，但是他的书都是些肤浅的通俗作品。

9 saint   

n.圣徒；基督教徒；vt.成为圣徒，把...视为圣徒

参考例句：

• He was made a saint.他被封为圣人。
• The saint had a lowly heart.圣人有谦诚之心。

10 superintendent   

n.监督人，主管，总监；(英国)警务长

参考例句：

• He was soon promoted to the post of superintendent of Foreign Trade.他很快就被擢升为对外贸易总监。
• He decided to call the superintendent of the building.他决定给楼房管理员打电话。

11 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

12 fort   

n.要塞，堡垒，碉堡

参考例句：

• The fort can not be defended against an air attack.这座要塞遭到空袭时无法防御。
• No one can get into the fort without a pass.没有通行证，任何人不得进入要塞。

13 warriors   

武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• I like reading the stories ofancient warriors. 我喜欢读有关古代武士的故事。
• The warriors speared the man to death. 武士们把那个男子戳死了。

14 jaw   

n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训

参考例句：

• He delivered a right hook to his opponent's jaw.他给了对方下巴一记右钩拳。
• A strong square jaw is a sign of firm character.强健的方下巴是刚毅性格的标志。

15 watchful   

adj.注意的，警惕的

参考例句：

• The children played under the watchful eye of their father.孩子们在父亲的小心照看下玩耍。
• It is important that health organizations remain watchful.卫生组织保持警惕是极为重要的。

16 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。