Catlin, George

FIRST EDITION, 8vo (252 x169mm.), half-title, 13 colour photo-lithographed plates after drawings by Catlin, original red cloth gilt, upper cover titled in gilt, flat spine lettered in gilt, gilt edges, some wear to spine, extremities rubbed

Howes C244; Pilling 693; Sabin 11543

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This is an important eye-witness account of the Mandan buffalo dance ceremony, or O-Kee-Pa, as the Mandans, who lived on the upper Missouri, were practically wiped out by smallpox in 1837, shortly after Catlin's visit. O-Kee-Pa was a religious ceremony filled with frenzied dances and highly-charged sexual pantomimes, followed by torture and mortification of the flesh. The explicit details of the sexual elements of the ceremony were considered too shocking for the general public, and were published in a 3-page "Folium Reservatum", in an edition of approximately 25 copies in Philadelphia in 1867.