Early Life and Legal Training George Catlin was born in 1796 in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, as the fifth of fourteen children. His early environment was shaped by the harsh realities of the American frontier, specifically through the stories of his mother, Polly Sutton. She had survived being captured during an Indian raid, a fact that provided a constant, visceral connection to the indigenous cultures he would later document. This personal history anchored his interest in the West long before he ever picked up a brush for professional purposes. His path was not initially aimed at the canva…