THE GEOEGE CATLIN INDIAN GALLERY. 767 



with portraits. Tlie portraits are those in tlie Indian Department at Washington, 

 painted by King. The work will be comprised in twenty numbers, each to cont?Jn 

 six portraits, and twenty or thirty pages of letterpress, known as McKenney and Hall's 

 History of the Indian Tribes of North America. A portion of the latter will be devoted 

 to a general history of the tribes, and the remainder will be biographies of the dis- 

 tingoished men. My materials for this part of the work are very voluminous and of 

 the most authentic character, having been collected from a great number of the In- 

 dian agents and other gentlemen who are personally acquainted with the Indians. 

 Your collection contains many portraits which it would be very desirable to unite 

 with ours, as they are those of Indians of the more remote tribes ; and it has occurred 

 to mo that if you should feel disposed to unite with us we could reject from our col- 

 lection the portraits of the least important persons — say half of them — retaining those 

 only of distinguished men, and add the same number from your collection, or even a 

 larger number, if it should be thought expedient ; and the work would then be the 

 most complete and splendid of the kind that has ever been attempted. 



We have already gone to great expense in preparing for this work. Many of the 

 portraits are engraved, and are now undergoing the process of coloring. We have 

 had the type and paper made for the express purpose, of the most expensive kind, and 

 the whole work will be of the most elegant kind. 



Should you think proper to join us, we shall have in our hands a complete monop- 

 oly ; no other work can compete with that which we could make. We shall begin to 

 print in a few days. As soon as two numbers are complete, an agent may be sent 

 to Europe, where the sale will probably be very extensive. 



Your object, I presume, will be to make money by the exhibition of your gallery, 

 and it will doubtless be a fortune to you. But you could in no way enhance the value 

 of your gallery more than by publishing a part of it in such a work as ours, which 

 would naturally excite the public attention towards it. 



If you feel disposed to join with us we are willing that you shall become interested 

 in our work, and take such part of the proceeds as shall be considered fair. In this 

 case you would only be asked to contribute the use of such of your portraits as we 

 might agree upon for engraving, say from 30 to 50, and a few of your landscapes, with 

 such rough notes respecting them as would enable us to write short biographical 

 sketches. My part of the work is to do the writing. Messrs. Key & Biddle furnish 

 all the funds, and attend to the labor of publishing, selling, &c. 



In this way we can get up a work from which an immense profit may be realized. 

 Your part of the enterprise will cost you little labor, while the success of the future 

 exhibition of your gallery would be greatly promoted. 



If you think well of this proposal, I would inquire whether it will be in your power 

 to visit Philadelphia ? You could then be advised more fully of our plans, and the 

 terms of an arrangement could be agreed upon. Should I have left here before your 

 visit, Messrs. Key & Biddle could make every arrangement as well as if I was here. 

 I shall remain here about ten days. I would go to Albany to see you, as I consider 

 this matter of great interest to us both, but I am now confined to the house by indis- 

 position. 



You will oblige me by an early answer. 



Please to present my regards to Mrs. Catlin. 



Very respectfully, your friend and obedient servant, 



James Hall. 



George Catlin, Esq. 



Mr. Catlin declined this proposition. It will be observed that this 

 tender was made prior to Mr. Catlin's placing his gallery on view (viz, 

 in February, 1836), and prior to his extended northwestern tour of 1836, 

 in fact before the gallery was comi)leted, or as exhibited in 1838-'39. 

 Mr. Catlin had met Judge Hall in Cincinnati in the winter of 1835-'36. 



