Gauchos shooting duck on the Pampas, Argentina

Following his bankrupcy, and inspired by Humboldt, Catlin travelled to South America in 1854, and spent six years travelling on the continent, countries visited including Argentina. He is known to have exchanged canvas for more solid supports, usually painting in quicker drying thinned oil on Bristol boards, materials better suited to the tropical climates. Three hundred and fifty-one works from this period (known as the Cartoon Collection) were donated by Paul Mellon to the National Gallery of Art, Washington in 1965.