George Catlin Auction Prices and Value Guide

George Catlin auction prices are tracked in Appraisily's artist market index, with source-directory coverage of 921 records. Use this page to review sold-lot activity, market context, and valuation factors before requesting a formal appraisal.

George Catlin auction prices: quick answer

George Catlin auction prices depend on medium, size, date, condition, provenance, edition details, attribution confidence, and recent comparable auction sales.

Artist
George Catlin
Source records
921
Market update
2026-02-06

Artist context

About George Catlin

George Catlin (1796–1872) was an American painter, author, and traveler whose work forms one of the most extensive visual records of Native American life on the nineteenth-century frontier. Born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, Catlin trained as a lawyer before turning to art. Between 1830 and 1836 he made five extended journeys through the American West, visiting dozens of Plains tribes and producing hundreds of portraits, ceremonial scenes, and landscapes that he collectively called his Indian Gallery. He exhibited these works widely in the United States and Europe, accompanied by lectures and publications, including his influential two-volume Letters and Notes on the Manners, Customs, and Condition of the North American Indians (1841). Catlin's paintings are held by major institutions including the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, and the National Gallery of Art. His documentation of indigenous cultures at a time of rapid displacement gives his oeuvre lasting ethnographic as well as artistic significance.

American Ethnographic PortraitureOil paintingWatercolorEngravingLithographyNative American portraitsPlains IndiansAmerican frontier landscapesErie Canal scenes

Common works and media

Catlin is best known for oil-on-canvas or oil-on-board portraits of individual Native American sitters, often identified by name and tribal affiliation. He also painted group scenes depicting buffalo hunts, dances, and council meetings. Watercolor drawings and field sketches from his western travels circulate less frequently. Engravings and lithographs — including plates from his published books and portfolios — are the most commonly encountered medium on the secondary market. Miniature paintings from his early career are documented but rare at auction.

Market and appraisal context

George Catlin's secondary market spans 35 years of recorded auction activity (1991–2026) with 326 catalogued lots, 220 of which have published realized prices. The market is anchored by a handful of high-value original oil portraits — the top recorded price reaching $17.37 million — but the vast majority of lots that appear at auction are reproductive prints, hand-colored lithographs, and chromolithographs from Catlin's North American Indian Portfolio and later editions. The interquartile range of $220–$1,500 reflects this print-heavy composition. Recent liquidity is stable: 20 priced lots in the trailing twelve months versus 21 in the prior period, indicating consistent but modest turnover. Sotheby's heads the list of observed houses, but most recent activity runs through regional and specialist firms including Kiechel Auction, Nadeau's Auction Gallery, Jackson Hole Art Auction, Santa Fe Art Auction, and North American Auction Company, all of which frequently feature Catlin prints in Western and Native American art sales. Original oil paintings surface rarely; when they do, they typically appear at the major houses (Sotheby's, Bonhams) and trade at materially different price levels from the print market.

Auction categories and appraisal factors

Common auction categories

  • American Paintings, Drawings & Sculpture
  • Western & Native American Art
  • Prints & Multiples

Value drivers

  1. Subject matter: portraits of named tribal leaders and documented ceremonial scenes carry stronger collector interest
  2. Medium and period: original oil portraits and watercolors from the 1830s Indian Gallery era are more significant than later reproductive prints
  3. Attribution: works should be verified against known catalogues and museum holdings; copies and period reproductions circulate in the market
  4. Provenance: documented history of ownership, especially through known collections or institutions, substantially affects value
  5. Condition: given the age of works (1830s–1870s), conservation state and any restoration are material factors
  6. Medium: original oil-on-canvas or oil-on-board portraits from the 1830s Indian Gallery era command the highest values; hand-colored lithographs from the North American Indian Portfolio trade in the mid-hundreds to low thousands; later chromolithographs and restrikes are at the lower end

Appraisal caveats

  • Catlin produced hundreds of paintings and supervised many reproductive prints; buyers should distinguish between original works and later editions or copies
  • The 921 auction records in the Appraisily database span a wide range of media and price points; individual appraisal depends on specific attribution, medium, and provenance
  • The $17.37 million maximum price is an extreme outlier driven by a major original oil painting; the median price of $550 and interquartile range of $220–$1,500 are far more representative of the typical lot encountered at auction
  • Of 326 catalogued lots, only 220 have published realized prices; unsold lots and buy-in results are excluded from price-distribution statistics, which may inflate median figures

Evidence

Sources for artist context

This source-grounded artist context passed Appraisily's promotion threshold: high confidence, strong sources.

Source-grounded artist Markdown

Data basis

This page is built from Appraisily's public auction market index. Private transactions, incomplete sale feeds, and attribution changes may not be fully represented.

LLM-readable Markdown summary for George Catlin

LLM summary index · LLM full index

Artist value FAQ

How much is George Catlin worth?

Comparable public auction sales are the best starting point, but final value depends on the specific artwork, condition, size, medium, provenance, and attribution confidence.

Can Appraisily value my George Catlin artwork?

Yes. Appraisily can review photos, dimensions, signatures, condition, provenance, and comparable market data to prepare a current valuation.