Show 7 lv P 7 r a rrT r wT o T o oV V V V tt r r r Ir man 11 J awe m t tw tr w r tats nf t h 11 T T-ii T rl r mr w Tn R r N r m AT l I r Ali e l a m tea ls aa r rA A L 1 mod t r r A rALL LL S 'S r- r l 4 1 1 J Jf JJ f 5 Indians of the Plains 1 J 1 by Carl Bodmer Prom P r 11 3 II ii 4 Catlin portrait of Geo a i s Explorer 9 With Chief to pa r of ti From own h made about 1839 i ry 31 ii if 1 9 it wn wp R Ay 1 L V W A h r i g 4 John Mix Stanley 1 I A f Crow Hunting Camps Camp by Ay William Wt 1 de cle la Is M M Cary Carl 6 By ELMO SCOTT WATSON r exhibitions of native art art- art artt t drawings paintings and other exam pIes of handicraft In handicraft In various parts of the country have not only sene served 1 ay to revive e the Interest interest of the people people'S S 'S of the United 1 States In the original WI Inhabitants tants of this continent the W North American In Indians but they they they- wu s have e also served to recall the servIces services c P Ices of or a n group of ot men whose work desen desertes a better fate tate than the par par- 5 I oblivion which has lias been theirs These are the early painters of the Indians to whom we are In Indebted for most of our pictorial evidence e about the red rell man while he was still com comparatively para para- ely tI untouched 1 by the so-called so civilizing In- In In Influences of the white man Foremost amon among the names of these artists Is that of George Catlin and mention of him Is singularly appropriate at this time because It was just years ears a ago o that Catlin had hall started on his work of recording the appearance social life and customs custom of the tribes of the trans trans- trans trans-Mis- trans West Catlin was born bom In Wyoming Pa In l 1790 1796 DG and In accordance with his fathers faUler's wishes studied for the profession of law which he began practicing In Philadelphia But ut be- be beIng belag be being ing lag fond of excitement and adventure he found It difficult to stick to his business and he de- de devoted voted de-voted voted almost as much time to his avocation of drawing and painting In which be was self self- taught self taught as he did to his vocation of law One day In 1830 1810 a party of Indians from the Far West who ho were on their way to a coun coun- council council cil with Ith the Great White Father In Washington stopped on over r In Philadelphia Catlin saw them themon themon themon on the streets and was so delighted with their line fine forms and noble bearing that he be determined to give up his law practice and devoto oto his life lite to making maUng a collection of paintings of Indians which would show after they were gone how bow they looked and how they lived The result was his fir first t journey to the Indian country In 1832 and for tor the next nett eight years he devoted himself to the work He lIe traveled tra many thousands of miles mlles by canoe and on horseback among tribes tribe which were still as wild and un- un un tamed untamed as they had been In pre-Columbian pre da days s 's and he found plenty of excitement difficulty and danger In his work everywhere He lIe made paintings every cry where portraits of chiefs and warriors paint paint- ings lags paintings buffalo of the scenery of the West West of herds of falo tao of hunting life of Indian games ceremonies cere cere- ceremonies ceremonies monies social customs customs that would Illustrate the life and country of or the wild tribes of the West Store More than that that be he painted scenes of old trading posts and United States forts Upon whose sites now stand Important American cities so that e Men esen en It if he had not left an In- In Invaluable invaluable In Invaluable valuable record of the Indian the historical value of or this other phase of his work would be great enough to place Americans under a n heavy debt of ot gratitude to him Catlin not only painted hundreds of pictures but he made a big collection of Indian objects dress dress weapons scalps objects object used In games articles of clothing ornaments etc With all of these he be made a 0 tour of or the East exhibiting his collections In th the larger cities and every efery where everywhere attracting large crowds It seems unfortunate that Catlin could not have profited profiled more from his work while he be lived For For In his old age he lost the fortune which he had bad built up became a n bankrupt In fact until all he had left was his gallery allery of some GOO or more of his Indian paintings These he would not sell but gave them to the Smithsonian Institution tion for tor safekeepIng as an Imperishable record of his life work and of a vanishing race Some of them were destro destroyed ed or Injured In a fire which swept the Institution In n January 1605 but the II IIAn An An OS Osage Cje Scalp calp Dane Dance by John MIx Stanley IBIS remainder which are still sUll preserved In the Smith SmithsonIan Smithsonian are valued at nt not less than which It f an anything Is s an con con- considering considering their Importance Catlin died In 1572 at the age of six seventy The same fate overtook o most of the PaIntings of another famous artist John John Mix Stanley For Forthe Forthe Forthe the same fire Ore In the Smithsonian destroyed all allbut allbut allbut but five of Stanleys Stanley's collection of more than than paIntings which represented 10 years of work among 43 different tribes on the southwestern prairies In New Mexico California and Oregon Stanley was born In N N Y In 1814 and died In Detroit the same year that saw the death of Catlin Catlin 1872 At the age of four four- fourteen fourteen fourteen I teen he became an orphan and was apprenticed to a wagon maker maler in Naples N Y where he spent his boyhood In 1834 he moved to De- De Detroit Detroit De Detroit troit and the next year his latent genius be- be becan began be began gan can to show v Itself In a series of portraits and landscapes In 30 31 he made his hia home In Chicago and Galena the famous lead mining center In Illinois and at this time he first be- be became became be became came Interested In n Indians making trips to Fort Snelling MInn to paint them From 1539 to 1842 he ho made his home again In the East and ond continued with his painting Ills first Important work among the tile Indians was done In 1842 when he visited the Indian country In Arkansas and New Mexico and made many pictures of Indians and Indian scenes what Is now Okla Okla- Oklahoma Oklahoma Oklahoma The next year ear he was In to homa homa painting among the Cherokees the Creeks and the as well as some of the tribes In Texas The year 1815 found him a again In New Mexico and ond by this time he had painted 83 canvases which he exhibited In Cincinnati and Louisville Louls In May 1840 IS-IC Stanley StAnly returned to the West and painted the famous Sac chief Keokuk the wife of Black mack Hawk and other notables of that tribe In October of that year he visited Santa Fe Ie to paint some more pictures but Instead he be b joined the famous march of Gt cral Kearney and his dragoons from Santa Fe to San Diego taking part In several engagements which marked the phase of the Mexican war that was fought In California next Stanley found some Going north the Sear ear car more excitement awaiting him for he narrowly escaped being In the Whitman massacre when that famous missionary his wife and 11 others were killed by malcontents of the Cayuse Cause Ca use tribe death a 0 He had bad another narrow V escape from San Fran Fran- Francl Francisco Francisco he returned to short time later latr when for the return to toN for ship cl cisco co to take a n certain Horn He lIe barely missed N New w York via fla Cape lost at sea Mil the ship before It sailed and it was Next Stanley went to and never ne hear heard 1 of again the portraits of th the Hawaii where he painted famous King Bing III and his bis queen which now hang In the government go museum museum formerly the ro royal al palace In Honolulu Returning to this country In 1850 Stanley ex- ex exhibited ex exhibited his pictures In various eastern cities and In 1853 1833 3 he was appointed artist to the ex- ex expedition expedition ex expedition sent by the government go to explore a route for tor a n Pacific railroad from SL St Paul to Puget sound Before starting on this expedition thou tion he deposited his collection of Indian paint paint- paintIngs paintings paintings ings In the Smithsonian Institution Various at- at attempts attempts at attempts tempts were made ronde to have ha congress purchase the collection for the nation but nothing came of them The pictures remained the property of the artist so 80 when all of them except five were I destro destroyed ellin In the Januar January fire In n the Smith Smith- Smithsonian Stanley suffered a 0 great personal loss i A list of early painters of the Indians would I not be complete without Including In It the name of Carl Bodmer a Swiss artist who accompanied Prince Maximilian of NeuwIed WIed-NeuwIed when that distinguished German scientist made his journey up the Missouri In 34 1832 nod Bodmer mer not only left posterity a n priceless heritage of Indian por por- por- por portraits portraits traits and ond pictures but he also like Catlin Catlin made drawings 3 of forts fur trading posts bat bat- battle battle battle tle scenes cenes etc which are Invaluable Im hIstorical records In the picture by nod Bodmer mer which Is I ro- ro reproduced re reproduced produced above e are arc shown three typical war war- warriors warriors of the plains from left to right a Mis Mis- Missouri Ils- Ils an nn Oto and a Ponca Until a few years ago there was living in n New NewYork NewYork York city another early painter of the Indian whose work takes rank with that of the artists previously mentioned He lIe was William De La LaMontagne Cary a n New Yorker who In 1801 with two companions made his way up the Missouri river from St Louis and during the next 13 ears put down on canvas scenes from the fast fast- vanishing fast vanishing frontier which are among the most valuable records of life In n those days which we have e Others who might be listed even If It lack of space pace prevents discussion of their contrIbutions are Capt Seth Eastman a n teacher of drawing at the United States Military academy at West WestPoint westPoint WestPoint Point who saw service In the Indian country and was chosen to Illustrate Historical and Statistical Information Respecting the tho history CondItion and Future Prospects of the Indian TriLls Tribes of the United States Issued by the gov gov- government gov- gov government government In 1 1850 0 Carl Wimar a n German artist who lived Il among the Indians Indian for six months In 1857 and some of whose paintings are preserved In his adopted city St Louis V p I 0 O C Darley the leading Illustrator of or books and magazine articles three quarters of a n century n ago o and George DeForest Brush who Is still living and whoso studies of the Indian ha have vo helped to es- es establish es establish the red redskin In an nn Important place In the theart theart theart art history of America 0 c b by br Wa W tern t rn N w p r Union r |