George Catlin, born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, had…

George Catlin, born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, had early abandoned a brief career as a lawyer.

Claiming his interest in America’s 'vanishing race' had been sparked by a visiting American Indian delegation in Philadelphia, he sets out to record the appearance and customs of America’s native people.

Catlin had begun his journey in 1830 when he accompanied General William Clark on a diplomatic mission up the Mississippi River into Native American territory.

St. Louis had become Catlin’s base of operations for five trips he has taken between 1830 and 1836, eventually visiting fifty tribes.