George Catlin's paintings and the vision behind them have become part of our understanding of a lost America. We see the Indian past through Catlin's eyes, imagine a younger, fresher land in his bright hues. But he spent only a few years in what he considered Indian country. The rest of his long life--more than thirty years--was?devoted largely to promoting, repainting, and selling his collection--in short, to seeking patronage. Catlin and His Contemporaries...