Show 0 Some Early arly Painters Painter 9 of the American Indian r Iff Ire Ire- s Ills o sal t w A. A I a et J H w 1 h 1 I t th n n h h 1 1 y A c g t N Indians of the Northern m Plains Plein i b ho by i Carl Bodmer from rr-ern Ij ye e le Un rs li P lip l I r L 4 il ii i II II I Portrait of George qc Catlin II II Catlin the Famous Explorer feasting With i tn fah U fail pa pa oh-pa of jj 3 II v aka Fr From own node mads a tout bout 1834 4 r v V f x S l' l Y C r rt Q E t t ny i l v Y s y t Y d dy y rat W y k t tF Y 1 x E l 4 e Ir rO o h l ww K p f d t l si a Ai Wa q HY y yC John C w. w r woman rF A A Crow Camp CampI by de III At C d By ELMO SCOTT WATSON e P CENT exhibitions of native Dative arc arc- drawings paintings and other exam eum pies of handicraft handicraft ln In various parts of the tho country have not only served to revive the Interest of ot the people of the United States In la the original Inhabitants of this continent the North American Indians but they have also served to recall the services servIces ices of a group of men whose work deserves a ft better tate late than the partial partin par par- tin oblivion which lane has been theirs These are the tho early painters pointers of the Indians to whom we are Indebted for tor most moat of ot our pictorial evidence about bout the red man while he was still comparatively comparatively they untouched by the culled so Influences Influences In In- of the white man Foremost among the names of these artists Is II that of ot George Catlin and mention of ot him Is singularly appropriate at this time because it was 81 Just years ago that Catlin had hod started on en his work of record recording In the appearance social life lite and customs of the tribes of the trans trans-MIs- West Catlin was born In Wyoming Pa 10 In 1700 and In iii accordance with his fathers father's wishes studied for tor the profession lon of low law which be he began practicing In Philadelphia But Dut being belag be be- lag ing fond of ot excitement and adventure he found It difficult to stick to his business busness and he devoted devoted devoted de de- de- de voted almost a all aM much time to his avocation of drawing and painting In which he was self self- taught as 81 he did to his hla vocation of law v. One day In 1830 a party of Indians from the Far West who were on their way to a ft council council coun coun- cil with the Great White Father In Washington stopped over Ofer In Philadelphia Catlin saw them themon on the streets and was waa so 10 delighted with their one lIne forms and noble bearing that he determined to give live up his law practice and devote his life lite to making a collection of ot paintings of Indians which would show after atter they were gone how bow they looked and how bow the they lived The result was his first journey to the Indian country countr In 1832 and fur for the next eight years he devoted himself to the work lie He traveled many thousands of ot miles by canoe and on horseback among tribes which were WEra It still as 81 wild and untamed untamed un tamed as they had been In pre Columbian days and he found plenty of excitement t difficulty and danger In his work lie He made paintings everywhere every where portraits of oC chiefs and warriors paintings paintings paint paint- ings Ins of the scenery of at the West of herds of buffalo buC- buC falo talo of ot hunting life lite of Indian games ceremonies ceremonies cere cere- monies social customs customs everything everything that would Illustrate the life lite and country of ot the wild tribes of the West More than that he painted scenes of old trading posts and United States StatE's forts torts upon whose sites now stand Important American cities so 80 that even If he hl had d not left an Invaluable In Invaluable valuable record of the Indian the historical value of this other phase of his work would be he great enough to place Americans l under a heavy debt of gratitude to him Catlin not only painted d hundreds of pictures but he made a big collection o 0 ol Indian objects dress weapons scalps objects used In games gamt's articles of clothing ornaments etc With all of these he made m a tour of the wait East exhibiting his collections In fa the larger cities and everywhere every where here attracting large crowds It seems unfortunate that Catlin could not have bue profited more from his work while he be lived For In his old age he lost the fortune which he bad had built up tip became a bankrupt In fact tact until all h he had left was his gallery of ot some MO roo or more of his Indian paintings These he would not sell ell ell but gave gae them to the Smithsonian Institution Institution tion for tor safekeeping as an Imperishable record of ot his life lite work arid and of a vanishing race Some of ot them were destroyed or Injured In a fire which swept the Institution In January 1805 but the t W i 1 e LL I t i t t x tl Y yx r s r 1 H An An Osage Scalp cal Dance remainder which are lire still preserved In the Smith Smith- are valued at not less than which If anything Is an considering considering con con- their Importance Catlin died In 1872 1572 at the age of seventy The same fate tate o overtook most of the paintings of another famous artist John Mix Stanley For Forthe Forthe Forthe the same fire In the Smithsonian onlan destroyed allbut all allbut allbut but five of Stanleys Stanley's collection of ot more than 1 1 paintings which represented 10 years of work among 43 different tribes on the southwestern prairies In New ew Mexico California and Oregon Stanley was born horn In N N. y T. In 1814 and died In Detroit the same year that saw the death of ot Catlin 1872 1872 At the age of ot fourteen fourteen four four- teen he became an orphan and was apprenticed to a wagon maker In Naples N. N Y T where he spent his boyhood In IS 1534 H he ht moved pd to Detroit Detroit Detroit De De- troit and the next year his latent genius began began began be be- gan to show Itself In a series aeries of portraits and landscapes In 1838 39 he made malte his home In Chicago and Galena the famous lead mining center In Illinois and at this time he first became became became be be- came Interested In Indians making trips t to Fort Snelling Minn to point paint them From 1839 to 1842 he made his home again In the I East ast an and 1 continued with his painting Ills His first Important work among the Indians was done In 12 1342 when he visited the Indian country In Arkansas and New Mexico and made mademan man many pictures of Indians and Indian scenes The next year ear he was In what Is now Okla Okla- Oklahoma homa Noma painting among the Cherokees the Creeks end the as well as some of ot the tribes tribE's In Texas Tens The year ear 1845 18 found him again In New ew Mexico and by this time he had painted 83 canvases can which he exhibit exhibited Id I'd In Cincinnati and I Louisville In May 1840 Stanley returned to the West and painted the famous Sac chief Keokuk the wife of Black Hawk and other notables of that tribe In October of that year he visited Santa anta Fe oe to paint some more pictures but Instead he Joined the famous march of ot General Kearney and his dragoons from Santa Fe to San Diego taking part In several engagements which market marked t the phase of ot the Mexican war that was fought In California Going north the next year Stanley found some more excitement awaiting him for tor he be narrowly escaped being In the Whitman massacre when that famous missionary his bis wife and 11 others were killed by malcontents of the Cayuse tribe He lIe had hall another narrow escape from death a short time later when he be returned to San Francisco Francisco Fran Fran- cisco to take a certain ship for tor the return to New York Tork via Cape Horn lie He barely missed the ship before It sailed and It was lost at sea lea and never heard of ot again Next Nest Stanley went to Hawaii where he painted the portraits of the famous King KIe III HI and his hie queen iy hJ John M Mix ML Stanley f IBS I which now hung hang In the government museum formerly the royal palace In Honolulu Returning to this country In 1 1850 Stanley exhibited exhibited exhibited ex ex- his pictures In various eastern cities and In 1853 he be was appointed artist to the expedition expedition expedition ex ex- sent lent by the government to explore a ar r route ute for tor a Pacific railroad from St. St Paul to Puget sound Before Detore starting on this expedition tion he deposited his collection of Indian paint paint- paintings ings lags In the Smithsonian Institution Various attempts attempts attempts at- at tempts were ere made to have hue congress purchase the collection for the nation but nothing came came of them The pictures remained the property of the artist so 80 when all of them except five were destroyed In the January Januar 18 1803 1813 fire In the Smithsonian Smith Smith- Ionian Stanley suffered a great grent personal loss A list of ot early painters of ot the Indians would not be complete without Including In It the name of Carl nod Bodmer mer a Swiss artist who accompanied Prince Maximilian of WIed Neuwied when that distinguished German scientist made his Journey up the Missouri In 1812 Bodmer not only left posterity a priceless heritage e of Indian portraits portraits portraits por por- traits and pictures but he also like made drawings of forts fur tur trading posts battle battle bat bat- tle tie scenes etc which are Invaluable historical records In the picture by Bodmer which Is reproduced reproduced reproduced re re- produced above are shown three thrle typical warriors warriors war war- warriors of the plains from left lett to right a Missouri Missouri Mis MIs- an Oto and a Ponca Iona Until a few tew years ago aJo there was living In New NewYork NewYork York Tork city another early painter of the Indian whose work takes rank with that of the artists previously mentioned HP Ile was William De LaMontagne La LaMontagne LaMontagne Montagne Cary a New ew Yorker who In 1801 18 with two companions made his way up the Missouri river from St St. Louis and durin during the next 13 years put down on canvas scenes from the fast fast- vanishing frontier which are among the most valuable records of ot life lite In those days which we have hue Others who might be listed even If lack of space prevents discussion of their contributions are ale Capt Seth Eastman a teacher of drawing at the United States Military academy at WestPoint West WestPoint WestPoint Point who saw service senke In the Indian country and was chosen to Illustrate Historical and Statistical Information Respecting the History Condition and Future Prospects of the Indian Tribes of the United States Issued by the government government gov lOT In 1 1850 1810 Carl Wimar a ft German artist who lived among the Indians for tor six alE months In 1857 1657 1 7 and some lome of whose hose paintings are preserved In his adopted adopter city St St. Louis F F. O. O C. C Darley Dailey the leading Illustrator of books and I articles three quarters of a century ago and George DeForest Brush who Is still living and whose studies of ot the Indian have helped to establish es es- establish the redskin In an Important place In the theart theart theart art history of America 0 C CI b kr by N A Union |