Free shipping on every order · 3+ prints, 10% off automatically · Made to order worldwide
Shop / Ball-play of the Choctaw—Ball Up
Exhibition poster

Ball-play of the Choctaw—Ball Up

George Catlin

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

Size2:3 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
3 × $59 at 16 × 24 in, unframed = $177 → $159.30 as a set · 10% included · free shipping
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
Secure checkout via Stripe

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 exhibition-poster edition shows the whole work beneath original typography set in-house. 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
Exhibition poster of a Realism painting
Era
19th century (1846–1850)
Orientation
Portrait
Palette
cream & beige
Mood
classic
Rooms
study or library, home gym, living room, dining room, dorm room
Good gift for
housewarming, art lovers

Size. Prints at 12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in — 12×18 for a shelf, desk or a gallery-wall grid; 16×24 above a desk, console or in a hallway; 24×36 as the statement piece above a sofa or bed.

Framing. Exhibition posters sit best in a slim black frame with no mat — the typeset margin is the mat.

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

Details & materials
• Exhibition poster — original, drawn in-house • Heavyweight matte fine-art paper, giclée printed at 300 DPI • Sizes: 12×18, 16×24, 24×36 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 exhibition-poster edition sets the complete image above typography designed in-house.
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 12×18, 16×24 and 24×36 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, 24×36 is the size that reads as one statement piece; 16×24 suits a narrower wall or a pair.
About this design
A museum-exhibition poster of George Catlin's Ball-play of the Choctaw—Ball Up — 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 — shown whole and uncropped beneath gallery typography. The American West, styled as a blockbuster exhibition print. A gallery-style exhibition poster: a celebrated public-domain artwork shown whole and uncropped beneath original exhibition typography set in-house — 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 Exhibition Posters 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.
Also available as

A fine-art print

The same artwork as a clean fine-art print — the image shown large with a minimal caption.

Fine artBall-play of the Choctaw—Ball Up — framed in a gallery setting
Ball-play of the Choctaw—Ball Up
George Catlin
from $39 · free shipping
Related collections
American PaintingRealist & Academic Paintings of the Nineteenth CenturyPaintings of Everyday LifeExhibition PostersFamous Painting PrintsLiving Room Wall Art & PrintsAll collections →
More by this artist

More by George Catlin

View all 12 by George Catlin →

More like this

Related Fine Art