Buffalo Bull's Back Fat (Stu-mick-o-súcks), Head Chief of the Blood Tribe - George Catlin

A 1832 portrait by George Catlin depicting Stu-mick-o-súcks, a head chief of the Blood Tribe, captured in traditional ceremonial regalia.

George Catlin painted this portrait of Stu-mick-o-súcks, or Buffalo Bull's Back Fat, during his travels through the American West in 1832. As a head chief of the Blood Tribe of the Blackfoot Confederacy, the subject is depicted with significant attention to his ceremonial attire and personal adornment. The painting captures the chief in a frontal pose, wearing a shirt decorated with quillwork and a prominent circular breastplate. His face is marked with red pigment, a detail that Catlin documented to record the cultural practices of the Plains tribes during the early nineteenth century.

Catlin travelled extensively to document the lives of Indigenous peoples, motivated by a desire to preserve a record of their customs before the expansion of the American frontier. His approach to portraiture often combined a direct, observational style with the conventions of European academic painting. The background remains relatively simple, ensuring the focus stays on the subject's expression and the specific details of his regalia. The feathers in his hair and the texture of his clothing are rendered with careful brushwork, reflecting the artist's interest in the material culture of the Blackfoot people.

This work is part of the extensive collection Catlin assembled for his Indian Gallery, which he exhibited across the United States and Europe. While his methods and motivations have been subject to modern scrutiny, the paintings remain primary visual records of the individuals he encountered. The portrait provides a specific historical account of a leader who played a role in the diplomatic relations of the Blackfoot Confederacy. By focusing on the individual rather than a generalised representation, Catlin created a document that offers insight into the social hierarchy and aesthetic traditions of the Blood Tribe during the 1830s.