The subject of George Catlin’s painting, Pigeon’s Egg Head, represented the troubles of Native Americans during the time of westward expansion. Much of what was happening in America can be contributed to Catlin’s view of natives. The market revolution and Jackson’s presidency are a couple of the most influencing factors on the movement west and ultimately, the Trail of Tears. Although Catlin has a great amount of passion and admiration for this people, he sees the Native Americans as losing much of their identity as a result of what has happening between 1830 and 1850.
Many events took place in the early 1800’s resulted in the westward movement. The development of a national economic expansion also resulted in a transportation revolution This made it easier to not only move products, but also allowed for people to move into new regions and continue to be productive. Prior to these new advancements, the only way to transport goods cheaply was by water, therefore in order to make a living a person had to be able to access water rather easily. This allowed for mainly for coastal and international markets. During the times of 1825-1855, however, the cost of land transportation not only fell 95% but the speed increased as well. This allowed for new regions to be incorporated into the market. The initial developments were steamboats and canals, but railroads soon became the key method. They were twice as fast, offered direct routes, and could be run year-round. Along with transportation developments, was the prevalence of land speculators at the time. Speculators purchased most of the public lands sold and redistributed them to others. This practice played a major role in the settlement of the west. As a result of new geographic mobility and available land settlements, the zest for opportunity became one of the most prominent characteristics of the American people.
Catlin made his expeditions west during the period known as Jacksonian America. The values and political agenda had much to do with what ensued in relation to Native Americans. Andrew Jackson was said to be a man of action and he vigorously carried out his political agenda, which related to the market economy. At the time America’s economy was expanding as well as the nation’s population in geographic terms. This put great demands on Native American land and a greater amount of pressure on the natives. As a shift in the attitudes of whites toward Native Americans occurred, pressure for removal intensified significantly as well. The desire for access to western lands increased just as the racial attitudes towards Native Americans strengthened. Americans argued that “the Indian was a permanently inferior savage who blocked progress [1].” This is the attitude that eventually led to the passing of a removal bill by Congress in 1830, after Jackson urged them to provide funds for removal efforts.
Catlin’s painting offers a great deal of insight into the ways the natives handled the changes and pressures now placed upon them. and also shows how one’s opinions can change after time immersed in a culture. The side portraying this admirable Indian chief on his way to the capital is much more culturally rooted. He is wearing a ceremonial headdress, custom décor on his clothing and accessories that have ceremonial functions. The other side of the photo, on the other hand, suggests that Pigeon’s Egg Head is now a mockery. He no longer has a typical native dress. Catlin depicts a densely colonial attire. His whole appearance, is exaggerated and overdone. By depicting two extremely contrasted portraits of this Indian chief, Catlin, shows the dilemma that faced most every Native American at the time. Native Americans were quick to reject the idea of abandoning their lands, and therefore in an effort to prevent this, accommodated by adopting several ways of the white man.
Catlin reveals what transpires between the encounter of two starkly different cultures in a an area being exposed to drastic transformations. In the wake of white society’s westward craze, some may see the natives as “selling-out”, this painting goes to show that these are a culture of dignified people merely doing all that it takes to keep their heritage the least bit alive.
[1] pg. 294; Davidson, James W.. "The Rise of Democracy."Nation of Nations. 4th ed. 2006.
Hey Sara. Great job. You covered a lot in a relatively short post, making it easy for the reader to stay focused. I saw a few places for improvement. The first thing I noticed was that you don't have a picture of the painting. I think the picture is really important to include because that is the basis of this post and we have to assume that the reader has never seen the painting. Second, you may want to proof read a bit more. There a few places without periods and the word choice doesn't make sense. For example in paragraph two first sentence, "resulted" should be resulting. Also in paragraph two "This allowed for mainly for coastal and international markets." I know these are minor errors but they do make a difference especially in the way the post flows. Lastly I think you could have talked more about the Native Americans. You talked a lot about what was transpiring around them but not directly addressing them much and that is what the painting was of.
Posted by: Katie | November 08, 2006 at 12:37 PM