Ninth International Conference on The Image

Abstract

America has a strong love affair with guns. But did 19th century American painter, George Catlin, help foster that love with commissioned paintings featuring domestic-made weaponry, particularly the Colt 45 Revolver? That gun was designed by arms-maker Samuel Colt. A hand gun could now shoot off 6-rounds of bullets through a revolving cylinder. To help sell his guns, Colt used promotional and advertising methods, unique at that time. One of Colt’s more unique means of promotion was hiring painter George Catlin to paint several frontier-themed paintings featuring Colt weapons. Catlin would later win fame as a painter of the American West and the Native American. His paintings commissioned to feature Colt’s weaponry, is unique for the way fine arts would help promote one of the items that symbolize the United States of America today. Love them or hate them, guns represent one aspect of the American soul, and a 19th century painter helped to paint that soul.