George Winter

Scene on the Wabash, about 1848

oil on canvas

29 x 36 inches

Bequest of Paul H. Buchanan, Jr.

Learn More

George Winter was born in England, where he studied four years at the Royal Academy before coming to America in 1830 to continue his art education in New York. In 1835 he took up residence in Cincinnati, Ohio. Upon hearing of the plight of northern Indiana’s Potawatomi Indians, who were being removed to Kansas in what became known as “Potawatomi Trail of Death,” Winter settled in Logansport, Indiana to document their culture.  After thirteen years in Logansport, he moved to Lafayette, Indiana, and then spent three years in California.  Shortly after his return to Indiana in 1876, Winter died suddenly. Although he is known primarily for documenting the relocation of the Potawatomi and Miami tribes, Winter was a writer whose prose not only convey the anguish of the relocation but also the beauty of the surrounding countryside. Winter is also known for his documentation of the life of Frances Slocum, a Quaker child who was abducted by Indians and later became the wife of the tribe’s chief. 

The IMA collection contains several paintings by George Winter two of which are titled Scene on the Wabash.  Both of these works portray a group of Potawatomi Indians gathered next to the Wabash River. The figures are posed in a casual setting, reflecting Winter’s goal of recording the daily life and customs of these people. This particular painting concentrates on family activities, particularly women washing clothes in the Wabash.  It exemplifies the type of gathering of the Potawatomi that established Winter’s reputation as an artist.

Reference

Kitty Dye. Meet George Winter: Pioneer Artist, Journalist, Entrepreneur, St. Louis, MO: LeClere Publishing Company, 2001.  ISBN-13: 978-0970250117