EXPLORATIONS - George Catlin, Part 2

EXPLORATIONS¹ - October 9, 2002: George Catlin, Part 2

By Paul Thompson

VOICE ONE:
This is Mary Tillotson.
VOICE TWO:

And this is Steve Ember with the Special English program EXPLORATIONS. Today
we present the second part of our program about American artist George Catlin and
his paintings of Native Americans.

((THEME))

VOICE ONE:

Last week, we told how George Catlin had begun his working life as a lawyer.
However, he was not happy with this work. He gave up the law and began painting,
first in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and later in New York City.

He became a successful painter. He painted large and small paintings of people. But he still felt that he needed to
paint something that was important.

George Catlin decided² to paint Native Americans after he saw a delegation³ of Indians on their way to
Washington⁴, D-C.

By the year eighteen-thirty, he had traveled to Saint⁵ Louis, Missouri. From there he traveled north into lands that
few white Americans had ever seen. It was here that he met the first of the many American Indians he would
paint.

VOICE TWO:

George Catlin left many letters telling about his travels. He wrote that he often traveled alone, with only his
horse, “Charlie.” He carried his painting supplies and enough food for a few days.

He also carried a rifle⁶ for hunting. Between eighteen-thirty and eighteen thirty-six, Mister⁷ Catlin made five trips
into areas of the West that were considered unexplored Indian country. He traveled many thousands of kilometers
and visited fifty different tribes⁸.

VOICE ONE:

George Catlin painted almost everything he saw. He painted pictures of unusual land that no white person had
ever seen before. He painted Native American men, women, and children. He painted their clothes, weapons and
villages. He painted the people taking part in religious⁹ ceremonies, dances and the hunting of buffalo¹⁰. He often
painted three pictures in one day.

George Catlin tried to capture¹¹ in paint the Native American people and their culture. For example, he painted
many pictures of Indians playing a ball game. The game is played with a stick that has a small net at one end. The
net is used to control the ball. This Native American game is still played in the United¹² States and other countries
today. It is called by the name the French gave it –“lacrosse.
”

George Catlin also kept exact records of the people, places and events. Most of his paintings include the names of
the people and when they were painted.

VOICE TWO:


George Catlin began to have deep feelings about the people that he painted. He learned¹³ a great deal about them.
He learned that they were honest. They were intelligent. They represented¹⁴ different cultures that had great value.
George Catlin believed that many of the men he painted were great leaders in their own culture and would have
been great leaders in any culture.

He believed the Native American Indians were people of great worth. He also understood that the Indians could
not block or stop the westward¹⁵ movement of white people in America. He believed that the American Indian
would quickly disappear.

(((MUSIC BRIDGE)))

VOICE ONE:

George Catlin put together a collection of his many paintings. He called the display George Catlin’s Indian
Gallery. He began showing the paintings in many cities in the United States. He also gave long speeches about
the Indians he lived with.

He told those who came to his talks that he had never felt afraid while living in Native American villages. He
said no one ever threatened him or stole anything from him. He tried to make people understand what a great
people Native Americans were. He said huge areas of the country should be left for Native Americans to enjoy
life as they always had.

VOICE TWO:

Many people criticized¹⁶ George Catlin. Some said the people in his pictures did not really look as intelligent and
brave as he had painted them. They said the religious ceremonies he painted were false and that Indians did not
really have ball games. Some critics¹⁷ said George Catlin had invented these people.

The critics made George Catlin angry. He began to seek white Americans who had traveled in Indian country. He
asked army officers, fur traders¹⁸ and others to sign documents that said the people and events he painted were real.
The critics stopped saying his paintings were a lie.

VOICE ONE:

George Catlin took his collection of paintings to Europe. He also took many objects made by American Indians.
The George Catlin Indian Gallery was popular in London, England and in Paris, France. French art experts
praised his paintings. His paintings and speeches were popular. Many people paid money to visit his Indian
Gallery, but he did not earn enough money. He soon had financial problems.

Mister Catlin returned to the United States. There were about five-hundred paintings in his Indian Gallery. He
offered to sell them to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D-C. Several people worked to have the United
States government buy the paintings for the Smithsonian. However, Congress¹⁹ never approved a measure needed
for the sale.

VOICE TWO:

George Catlin found a buyer for his Indian Gallery. It was Joseph Harrison, a businessman in Philadelphia.
Mister Harrison bought the paintings but did nothing with them. For many years they were left in a room in his
factory. Mister Catlin was able to pay most of his debts²⁰ from the money he earned by selling his paintings. He
began painting again.

His new paintings were displayed at the Smithsonian Institution’s famous building called the castle. For the last
year of his life, he worked in a room in that building provided²¹ by the museum. George Catlin died in eighteen-
seventy-two. His famous Indian Gallery paintings were still in a room in Mister Harrison’s factory. A fire at the
factory almost destroyed them.

(((MUSIC BRIDGE)))

VOICE ONE:


In eighteen-seventy-nine, the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution was Spencer Baird. Mister Baird knew the
historic²² value of George Catlin’s paintings. The owner of the paintings, Joseph Harrison, had died. So Mister
Baird began to negotiate²³ with Joseph Harrison’s wife, Sarah. He asked her to give the collection to the
Smithsonian.

Missus Harrison agreed. She gave George Catlin’s famous Indian Gallery to the Smithsonian. The gift also
included many Indian objects that Catlin had collected. These included maps books, letters and other papers²⁴ that
told George Catlin’s story.

Sarah Harrison’s gift was one of the most important ever received by the Smithsonian. For more than one-
hundred-twenty-five years, the public has been able to see George Catlin’s paintings. Art critics, art students
and western history experts have studied and examined them.

VOICE TWO:

Today, George Catlin’s Indian Gallery is on display at the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Renwick
Gallery. The paintings have been carefully cleaned for this event. They look new and fresh, as if they were
painted recently.

Many of the objects that appear in his paintings are also on display: An Indian chief’s war shirt. A child’s bed.
Bows and arrows²⁵. Shoes.

Art experts have praised and criticized George Catlin’s work. Some say he was not a good artist and could not
paint the human body well. Others say this is because he painted very quickly. Most critics say his paintings of
people’s faces are beautiful. They seem alive and real.

VOICE ONE:

The Smithsonian will hold many special events at the Renwick Gallery that deal with Native Americans, George
Catlin and art. These include demonstrations²⁶ of traditional Native American dances, decorating clothing, music
and songs. Experts will discuss the meaning and design of the decorations on Indian clothing. In two-thousandfour, many of the Catlin paintings will travel to Kansas City, Missouri; then to Los Angeles, California²⁷, and then
to Houston, Texas.

You can see many of George Catlin’s paintings on the Internet by using a search engine. Type the name George
Catlin, C-A-T-L-I-N or the Renwick Gallery, R-E-N-W-I-C-K.

VOICE TWO:

George Catlin was afraid the American Indian would disappear from the Earth. That was one of the reasons he
painted so many different tribes and different people. He wanted a record to leave for history.

George Catlin was wrong. The American Indian did not disappear. But his paintings provide a close look at the
people, places and events from a time that is now long gone.

((THEME))

VOICE ONE:

This program was written by Paul Thompson. It was produced by Caty Weaver²⁸. I’m Mary Tillotson.

VOICE TWO:

And I’m Steve Ember. Join us again next week for EXPLORATIONS, a program in Special English on the
Voice of America.

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1 explorations   

探险旅行( exploration的名词复数 )； 搜寻； 考察； 勘探

参考例句：

• Our underwater explorations also helped to confirm the theory. 我们的水下考察也有助于证实这个理论。
• The geographical explorations had revealed the inadequacies of the existing maps. 地形勘查揭露出现有地图的不妥之处。

2 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

3 delegation   

n.代表团；派遣

参考例句：

• The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
• We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。

4 Washington   

n.华盛顿特区(是美国首都)

参考例句：

• His birthplace is Washington,but he lives in San Francisco.他出生于华盛顿，但住在旧金山。
• They, together with my father,have gone to Washington.他们和我父亲一起去华盛顿了。

5 saint   

n.圣徒；基督教徒；vt.成为圣徒，把...视为圣徒

参考例句：

• He was made a saint.他被封为圣人。
• The saint had a lowly heart.圣人有谦诚之心。

6 rifle   

n.来复枪，步枪

参考例句：

• The soldiers keep a tight hold of the rifle.战士们紧握手中的枪。
• They armed him with a rifle.他们发给他一支步枪。

7 mister   

n.(略作Mr.全称很少用于书面)先生

参考例句：

• Mister Smith is my good friend.史密斯先生是我的好朋友。
• He styled himself " Mister Clean ".他自称是“清廉先生”。

8 tribes   

n.部落( tribe的名词复数 )；（动、植物的）族；（一）帮；大群

参考例句：

• tribes living in remote areas of the Amazonian rainforest 居住在亚马孙河雨林偏远地区的部落
• In Africa the snake is still sacred with many tribes. 非洲许多部落仍认为蛇是不可冒犯的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 religious   

adj.宗教性的，虔诚的，宗教上的；n.修道士，出家人

参考例句：

• She is very religious person who goes to church every Sunday.她十分虔诚，每个星期天都上教堂。
• It is hard for me to reject religious beliefs.要我抛弃自己的宗教信仰是困难的。

10 buffalo   

n.(北美)野牛；(亚洲)水牛

参考例句：

• Asian buffalo isn't as wild as that of America's. 亚洲水牛比美洲水牛温顺些。
• The boots are made of buffalo hide. 这双靴子是由水牛皮制成的。

11 capture   

vt.捕获，俘获；占领，夺得；n.抓住，捕获

参考例句：

• The company is out to capture the European market.这家公司希望占据欧洲市场。
• With the capture of the escaped tiger,everyone felt relieved.逃出来的老虎被捕获后，大家都松了一口气。

12 united   

adj.和谐的；团结的；联合的，统一的

参考例句：

• The whole nation is closely united.全国人民紧密团结。
• The two men were united by community of interests.共同的利益使两个人结合在一起。

13 learned   

adj.有学问的，博学的；learn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He went into a rage when he learned about it.他听到这事后勃然大怒。
• In this little village,he passed for a learned man.在这个小村子里，他被视为有学问的人。

14 represented   

v.表现( represent的过去式和过去分词 )；代表；体现；作为…的代表

参考例句：

• The number 107 is represented in hexadecimal as 6B. 107这个数用十六进制表示为6B。
• Women are under-represented at senior levels in business. 商界高层的女性代表不足。

15 westward   

n.西方，西部；adj.西方的，向西的；adv.向西

参考例句：

• We live on the westward slope of the hill.我们住在这座山的西山坡。
• Explore westward or wherever.向西或到什么别的地方去勘探。

16 criticized   

vt.批评(criticize的过去式)v.评论，批评( criticize的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The decision was criticized by environmental groups. 这个决定受到了环保团体的批评。
• The movie has been criticized for apparently legitimizing violence. 这部电影因明显地美化暴力而受到了指责。

17 critics   

n.批评家( critic的名词复数 )；评论员；批评者；挑剔的人

参考例句：

• He felt no animosity towards his critics. 他对批评他的人并不心怀怨恨。
• The move was widely seen as an attempt to appease critics of the regime. 普遍认为，这一举措是试图安抚批评政权的人。

18 traders   

n.商人( trader的名词复数 )；经商者；商船；（证券交易中不为他人作代理而自行交易的）交易人

参考例句：

• Beware of dishonest traders in the tourist areas. 在旅游区一定要谨防奸商。
• Many traders went under during the war. 战争时期，许多商人破产。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 Congress   

n.(代表)大会；(C-:美国等国的)国会，议会

参考例句：

• There were some days to wait before the Congress.大会的召开还有几天时间。
• After 18 years in Congress,he intented to return to private life.在国会供职18年后，他打算告老还乡。

20 debts   

债( debt的名词复数 )； 负债情况； 人情债； 情义

参考例句：

• They were behindhand in settling their debts. 他们没有及时还清债务。
• I need to pay off all my debts before I leave the country. 我得在离开该国前偿清所有债务。

21 provided   

conj.假如，若是；adj.预备好的，由...供给的

参考例句：

• Provided it's fine we will have a pleasant holiday.如果天气良好，我们的假日将过得非常愉快。
• I will come provided that it's not raining tomorrow.如果明天不下雨，我就来。

22 historic   

adj.历史上著名的，具有历史意义的

参考例句：

• This is a historic occasion.这是具有重大历史意义的时刻。
• We are living in a great historic era.我们正处在一个伟大的历史时代。

23 negotiate   

v.洽谈，协商，谈判，顺利通过，成功越过

参考例句：

• I'll negotiate with their coach on the date of the match.我将与他们的教练磋商比赛的日期问题。
• I managed to negotiate successfully with the authorities.我设法同当局进行了成功的协商。

24 papers   

n.文件，纸币，论文

参考例句：

• I want to check with my secretary before I sign the papers.在签署这些文件前，我要与我的秘书商议。
• The lawyer read all the papers relating to the case.律师阅读了与该案有关的全部文件。

25 arrows   

n.箭( arrow的名词复数 )；矢；箭号；箭头

参考例句：

• He shot arrows one by one, but each missed. 他射了一箭又一箭，但都未能射中。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• They fired poisoned arrows at us. 他们向我们射出毒箭。 来自《简明英汉词典》

26 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

27 California   

n.加利福尼亚(美国)

参考例句：

• He was elected governor of the state of California.他当选为加州州长。
• We were driving on a California freeway.我们正沿着加利福尼亚的一条快车道驾车行驶。

28 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。