Ball-play of the Choctaw—Ball Up

George Catlin

1846–1850 · Oil on canvas · Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington

Size4:3 ratio

Frame

$59Unframed print · made to order

📦 Free shipping on every order, arriving in 4–9 business days with production included. Express ($14.90) at checkout arrives in 4–6 business days.

Complete the setHangs well with these two

This print

Ball-play of the Choctaw—Ball Up

Bird's-eye View of the Mandan Village, 1800 Miles above St. Louis

Buffalo Hunt under the Wolf-skin Mask

3 × $59 at 24 × 18 in, unframed = $177 → $159.30 as a set · 10% included · free shipping

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Giclée-printed to order on heavyweight matte fine-art paper

Free shipping worldwide · arrives in 4–9 business days

Arrives perfect or we reprint it — free

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About this work

Artist: George Catlin (1796–1872)
Year: 1846–1850
Medium: Oil on canvas
Original size: 65.4 × 81.3 cm
Collection: Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington
Movement: Realism

Hundreds of Choctaw players with sticks crowd a field as the ball is thrown up to start a game of stickball, the ancestor of lacrosse, with spectators and lodges on the slopes around. Catlin watched a match in Indian Territory, now Oklahoma, in 1834 and painted it again for his travelling gallery. It is in the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

This print reproduces the whole work, uncropped, from a high-resolution scan of the original. The original is in the public domain.

Where it works

A wide, lively sports scene for a study, den or home gym in a dark wood frame. It suits warm white or sage walls and is a gift for a lacrosse player.

Style, size & framing detail

Style: Realism painting
Era: 19th century (1846–1850)
Orientation: Landscape
Mood: classic
Rooms: study or library, home gym, living room, dining room
Good gift for: housewarming, art lovers

Size. Prints at 16×12, 24×18 in — 16×12 for a shelf, desk or a gallery-wall grid; 24×18 above a console or sideboard.

Framing. The gallery ground is part of the print, so frame it without a mat — black suits the deep tones of this period; dark wood warms it.

Pairing. Pairs as a set of three with other famous painting prints (10% off three or more).

Details & materials

• Restored in-house from the original painting — cleaned and colour-trued at museum resolution • Heavyweight matte fine-art paper, giclée printed at 300 DPI • Sizes: 16×12, 24×18 in; every size also available framed • Framed option: wood frame in black or dark wood, 12 mm wide and 22 mm deep, with a plexiglass front and no mat; the print is mounted inside and the frame's outside measures the listed size • Made to order; colours may vary slightly from screen

Shipping & returns

Printed after you order at the facility nearest you, then shipped. Standard delivery is free and takes 4–9 business days from order to door in the US, UK and EU (up to 10 elsewhere); Express takes 4–6 business days. Because each print is made to order we don't take change-of-mind returns, but if it arrives damaged or flawed we'll reprint or refund it — no return needed. Full policy →

Is this the whole painting, or a crop?

The whole work, uncropped. The image fills the print at the painting's own proportions; nothing is trimmed to fit a frame.

Is Ball-play of the Choctaw—Ball Up in the public domain?

Yes. George Catlin (1796–1872) died more than 70 years ago and the work was published before 1929, so the painting itself is public domain. This print is a reproduction made from a high-resolution scan of the original, which is held by Smithsonian American Art Museum.

What is it printed on?

Heavyweight matte fine-art paper with pigment inks, made to order in 16×12 and 24×18 inches; every size is also offered framed in black or dark wood, with plexiglass and no mat. Colours are matched to the scan, not brightened.

When was Ball-play of the Choctaw—Ball Up painted, and in what medium?

Ball-play of the Choctaw—Ball Up dates from 1846–1850 and was made in oil on canvas; the original measures 65.4 × 81.3 cm.

What size works above a sofa or bed?

Across a three-seat sofa or a queen bed, 24×18 is the size that reads as one statement piece; 16×12 suits a narrower wall or a pair. It is a landscape print, wider than it is tall, at the painting's own proportions.

About this design

Ball-play of the Choctaw—Ball Up (George Catlin) — Ball-play of the Choctaw—Ball Up · George Catlin · 1846–1850. This is a fine-art reproduction of a public-domain masterwork, shown whole and uncropped on a gallery ground, printed to order on heavyweight matte fine-art paper. Every size is offered unframed or framed in black or dark wood. Part of the Madten Fine Art Collection. — — — Printed to order and shipped by our production partner, Gelato.

Buy with confidence

The Madten promise

Gallery-grade archival giclée. Rich pigment inks on heavyweight fine-art paper (or gallery-wrapped canvas) — built to last, not a poster-shop print.

Arrives perfect or we reprint it — free. Every piece is made to order; if it shows up damaged or flawed we remake it, no return needed.

Free worldwide shipping. Made & shipped from the facility nearest you — most orders arrive in 4–9 business days.

Secure checkout. Payments handled by Stripe; we never see or store your card.

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