Catlin, George

Born at Wilkes-Barre, PA; apparently later-deafened (nearly completely deaf by 1848). Studied law, but switched to painting; travelled extensively through the West, documenting his trips and encounters through paintings and writings. Bankrupted in London in 1852, he disappeared for a while, then traveled through Central and South America, making geological observations on behalf of Humboldt. Catlin's extensive collection of Indian portraits, sketches, and artifacts was finally purchased by the Smithsonian Institution in 1871; he died the next year in Jersey City, NJ.