North American Indian Portfolio - photo 1
North American Indian Portfolio - photo 2
North American Indian Portfolio - photo 3
North American Indian Portfolio - photo 4
North American Indian Portfolio - photo 5

North American Indian Portfolio

Lot 25
16.06.2023 16:00UTC -05:00
Classic
Sold
$ 60 480
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUSA, New York
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 965106
Lot 25 | North American Indian Portfolio
Estimate value
$ 40 000 – 60 000
North American Indian Portfolio
George Catlin, 1844
CATLIN, George (1796-1872). Catlin's North American Indian Portfolio. Hunting Scenes and Amusements of the Rocky Mountains and Prairies of America. From Drawings and Notes of the Author, made during Eight Years' Travel. London: Geo. Catlin, Egyptian Hall; text printed by C. and J. Adlard, 1844.

"The history and customs of such a people, preserved by pictorial illustrations, are themes worthy of the lifetime of one man...”

A very handsome copy of the first edition, first issue: with finely hand-colored plates with printed captions and 20 pages of preliminary text. The second issue had only 12 pages of preliminaries. Catlin himself published the very scarce first colored issue with the plates printed on full sheets of paper, unmounted. Catlin's eight years of travel amongst what he identified as forty-eight different tribes produced this rich record. "The history and customs of such a people, preserved by pictorial illustrations, are themes worthy of the lifetime of one man, and nothing short of the loss of my life shall prevent me from visiting their country and becoming their historian" (preface). Although Catlin planned on producing a series of thematic portfolios reproducing images from his Indian Gallery, the publication overextended his resources and these 25 plates are the only ones which were published in his lifetime.

“Catlin’s North American Indian Portfolio is one of the most impressive books of Western Americana, ranking behind only the Bodmer atlas to Maximilian’s travels and the Edward Curtis portfolios in major illustrated works on the West. Catlin had originally hoped to create an even larger work, with four portfolios and a total of one hundred plates, but his financial mismanagement doomed the project and only one portfolio was issued” (Best of the West). Abbey Travel 653; Bennett 22; Best of the West 81; Howes C-243 (“c”); Sabin 11532; Bobins 40; Wagner-Camp 105a:1; William S. Reese, "The Production of Catlin's North American Indian Portfolio, 1844-1876," unpublished paper.

Folio (565 x 418mm). Letterpress title-page and nine leaves of text (few light spots to title, a little fingersoiling). 25 fine hand-colored lithographed plates after Catlin, lithographed by Day and Haghe (pale even toning, first six and last four plates with small marginal repairs, pl. 16 with larger marginal repair, few scattered other small repairs to corners or edges, a very pale tidemark visible mostly on versos). Original maroon cloth covers with gilt-lettered title, preserved over modern half morocco gilt to style, original endpapers preserved with binder’s stamp of A. Tarrant (cloth a trifle faded and worn).George Catlin
North America
Auction house category:Printed books
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
20 Rockefeller Plaza
10020 New York
USA
Preview
16.06.2023
Phone +1 212 636 2000
Fax +1 212 636 4930
Email
4FQ.AYGKAGLUQ@FO3G@
Conditions of purchaseConditions of purchase
Shipping Postal service
Courier service
pickup by yourself
Payment methods Wire Transfer
Business hoursBusiness hours
Mo 09:30 – 17:00   
Tu 09:30 – 17:00   
We 09:30 – 17:00   
Th 09:30 – 17:00   
Fr 09:30 – 17:00   
Sa closed
Su closed

Related terms

Frequently asked questions

First of all, you should register to be able to purchase at auction. After confirming your email address, enter your personal information in your user profile, such as your first name, last name, and mail address. Choose a lot from the upcoming auction and the maximum amount you want to place on it. After confirmation of your choice, we will send your application by e-mail to the appropriate auction house. If the auction house accepts a request, it will participate in the auction. You can view the current status of a bid at any time in your personal account in the "Bids" section.
Auctions are performed by auction houses and each of the auction houses describes their terms of auction. You can see the texts in the section "Auction information".
The results of the auction are published within a few days after the end of the auction. In the top menu of the site, find the tab "Auctions". Click on it and you will be on the auction catalog page, where you can easily find the category "Results". After opening it, select the desired auction from the list, enter and view the current status of the interested lot.
The information about the auction winners is confidential. The auction winner will receive a direct notification from the auction house responsible with instructions for further action: an invoice for payment and the manner in which the goods will be received.
Each of the auction houses has its own payment policy for the won lots. All auction houses accept bank transfers, most of them accept credit card payments. In the near future you will find detailed information for each case in the section "Auction information" on the page of the auction catalog and the lot.
Shipment of the won lot depends on its size. Small items can be delivered by post. Larger lots are sent by courier. Employees of the auction houses will offer you a wide range to choose from.
No. The archive serves as a reference for the study of auction prices, photographs and descriptions of works of art.
?>