THE GEORGE CATLIN INDIAN GALLERY. 5 



Mr. Catlin's catalogue, after his return to London in 1848, when he 

 reopened his gallery at No. 6 Waterloo Place, contains all the above 

 with the addition of Nos. 556 to 607, scenes of Indian life, painted 

 in Paris and London from his sketches in the years from 1839 to 1848. 

 They were no part of his original gallery. 



In 1848 he added to his gallery a series of full-length lay figures, 

 Nos. 608 to 625, inclusive. These were dressed in costumes which Mr. 

 Oatlin had brought from the Indian country, and which formed a por- 

 tion of the objects of his museum and gallery. 



The heads were modeled from the Ojibways and Ioways who visited 

 Europe in 1845 and 1846. The lay figures and dresses were destroyed 

 in part by fire and water in Philadelphia, as will be hereafter noted. 



Mr. Oatlin, in his catalogue of 1848, explains on page 51 that the full- 

 length costumed figures and certain paintings were not in his original 

 gallery, these figures, Nos. 608 to 625, and the portraits and other 

 paintings from No. 507 to 607 in the catalogue, having been added to the 

 collection since it was in Egyptian Hall in 1839 to 1844. 



The gallery now described was exhibited by Mr. Catlin in New York, 

 Philadelphia, Washington, Boston, and other cities in the years from 1837 

 to 1839 ; it was taken by Mr. Catlin to London in 1839 ; it was opened 

 for view by the public February 1, 1840, in Egyptian Hall ; it remained 

 in London, and for some time in the provinces, until 1844 ; thence it 

 was taken to France; it was exhibited first in Paris, at the Salle Valen- 

 tino, and afterwards temporarily in the Louvre, at the request of the 

 King. In 1848 Mr. Oatlin and his collection were turned out of Paris 

 by the revolution and went back to England. There he reopened his 

 gallery at No. 6 Waterloo Place, London, for two years, or until 1852. 

 In 1852, in London, Mr. Oatlin was induced to enter into speculations 

 which resulted in total financial disaster. His collection was seized 

 to satisfy claims growing out of these speculations. Mr. Joseph Harri- 

 son, jr., of Philadelphia, a most liberal and patriotic American, being 

 at the time in London, made liberal advances to Mr. Oatlin to meet 

 his liabilities, and as security took charge of the collection ; it was 

 shipped to Philadelphia in 1852->53, where it was stored until the 

 summer of 1879. In January, 1879, the attention of the writer was 

 called to the fact of the " original" Oatlin collection being in Philadel- 

 phia, the property of the Harrison estate, by John Mcllvain, esq., of 

 Baring street, Philadelphia. (This eminent taxidermist and Indian col- 

 lector died in April, 1885.) Application was at once made by Mr. Don- 

 aldson for its transfer to the Smithsonian Institution to James L. Olag- 

 horn, esq. (since deceased), and to Henry Harrison, esq., also since de- 

 ceased, a brother of Joseph Harrison, jr., executors of the Harrison 

 estate. They mentioned that the collection was in a dilapidated con- 

 dition, having been through two fires since its arrival in Philadelphia 

 from Europe, and that it was sfcored in several places in the city. 

 They promised their good offices with Mrs, Joseph Harrison, jr., and 



