Ball-play of the Choctaw--Ball Up
1850 Smithsonian American Art Museum
About this artwork
This oil painting depicts a Choctaw ball-play game, a traditional cultural activity, set within a vast prairie landscape. It is part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's collection.
Did you know?
George Catlin was one of the first white artists to travel to the American West to document the lives and customs of Native American tribes before their cultures were fundamentally altered by westward expansion. This painting captures a high-energy stickball match, which was often called the 'little brother of war' because of the intense physical competition and its role in resolving disputes between communities.
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Ball-play of the Choctaw--Ball Up
George Catlin, 1850
