| Show f IT an k a 1 l 11 ar MU ca L L ZW coolon L 0 o ROW aw my ff aa 1 1 I 1 A vion amarol n tan ali OL or J L q A 8 mp AM i ON me ff A L 9 at Q t h I 1 41 indians of the northern plains JH bi carl bodmer from yale ja Por frat of georae oat i n A e geor ge catlin ohp famous explorer feasting with chief mah to tsih pa ahbe from Crt lins own sketch made abbot 1834 01 1 fa R ail 0 vw J 1 V 4 I 1 at ar e 1 f I 1 k i 4 WA F 4 fa a bif ww 1 J e t ariley IVA crovi hunting camp ai wialiam WiY liam de la A by ELMO SCOTT WATSON J exhibitions of native arc drawings paintings anil and other exam ples pies of 0 handicraft in various parts of the country have not only served to re revive ire the interest of the people of 0 the united states tn in the original inhabitants of this continent the north american indians but they have also served to recall the services of 0 a group of men whose work deserves a better fate than the partial oblivion which has been theirs these are the early painters of the indians to whom we are indebted for most of our pictorial evidence bout about the red man while he was still comparatively untouched by the so called civilizing influences fluen ces of the white man foremost among the names of these artists Is that of george catlin and mention of him to 1 singularly appropriate at this time because it was wag lust just years ago that catlin had at started arted on his bis work of recording the appearance al social octal life and customs of the tribes of the trans ills alls west catlin was born in wyoming ra pa in 1708 1756 and in accordance with hla his fathers wishes studied tor for the profession of law which be began practicing in philadelphia but being fond of excitement and adventure he found found it difficult to stick to his business and he devoted almost as much time to his avocation of drawing and painting in which he was self taught as he be did to his vocation of law one day in 1930 a party of indians from the far west who were on their way to a coun colm til 11 with the great white father in washington topped stopped over in philadelphia catlin saw them on the streets and was so delighted with their fine forms and noble bearing that he determined to give up his law practice and devote bis big life to making a collection of paintings of indians which would show after they were gone how they looked and how they lived the result was his first journey to the indian country in 1832 and for the next eight years he be devoted himself to the work ile he traveled many thousands of miles by canoe and on horseback among tribes which were still as wild and untamed its as they had been in pre columbian days and nd he be found plenty of excitement difficulty and danger in his work lie ile made paintings everywhere portraits of chiefs and warriors paintings of the seen scenery ry of the west wesl of herds of buffalo of hunting life of indian games ceremonies in onles social customs everything that would illustrate the life and country of the wild tribes of the west more than that he painted scenes of old trading posts and united states forts upon coon whose sites now stand important american cities so that even if he be had not left an in valuable ble record of the indian the historical value talus of this other phase of his work would be treat great enough to place americans under a heavy debt of gratitude to him catlin not only painted hundreds of pictures but he made a big collection of indian objects dress weapons scalps objects used in games articles of clothing ornaments etc with all of these lie he made a tour of the east exhibiting his collections in the larger cities and everywhere attracting large crowds it seems unfortunate that catlin could not have profited more from his work while be lived for in ills his old ase age he lost the fortune which he be had built up became a bankrupt lo in tact fact until all he had bad left was his gallery of some or more imore of his indian paintings these he would not sell ell but gave them to the smithsonian institution for safekeeping as an imperishable record of his life work and of a vanishing race some of them were ere destroyed or injured in a fire which swept the institution in january 1805 but the 4 aze Z M if an osage scalp dance zy ly john MX mix iams remainder which are still preserved in the smithsonian are valued at not less than which it if anything Is an considering si their importance catlin died in 1872 at the age of seventy six sir the same fate overtook most of the paintings of another famous artist john nix mix stanley for the same fire in the smithsonian destroyed all but five of stanleys Stan leys collection of more than paintings which represented 10 years of 0 work among 43 different tribes on the southwestern prairies in new mexico california and oregon stanley was born in Canad algua N Y in 1814 and died in detroit the same year that saw the death of catlin 1872 at the age of fourteen he became an orphan and was apprenticed to a wagon maker in naples N T Y where he be spent his boyhood in 1834 lie he moved to detroit and the next year his latent genius began to show itself in a series of portraits and landscapes in 1839 1838 39 he made his home in chicago and galena the famous lead mining center in illinois and at this time he first became Inter interested ted in indians making trips to fort snelling gllnn to paint them from 1839 1830 to 1842 he made his home again in the east and continued with his painting his first important work among the indians was done in 1842 when lie he visited the indian country in arkansas and new mexico and made many pictures of indians and indian scenes the next year he was in what Is now oklahoma painting among the diero kees the creeks and the delawarek Delaw Dela arcs wares as well as some of the tribes in texas the year 1815 found him again in new mexico and by this time he be had painted 83 canvases which he exhibited in cincinnati and louisville in may 1840 1846 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 be visited santa fe to paint some more pictures but instead he joined the famous march of general kearney and his dragoons from santa fe to san diego taking part in several engagements which marked the phase phae of the mexican war that was fought in california going north the next year stanley found some more excitement awaiting him for he narrowly narro vly escaped being in the whitman massacre when that famous missionary his wife and 11 others were killed by malcontents of the cayuse tribe ile he had another narrow escape from death a short time later when he returned to san francisco to take a certain ship for the return to new york vla via cope cape horn ile he barely missed the ship before it sailed and it was lost at sea BOB and never heard of again next stanley went to hawaii where he painted the portraits of the famous king kamehameha III and his bis queen which now haug hang in the govern government museum formerly the royal palace in honolulu returning to this country in 1850 stanley exhibited his pictures in various eastern cities and in 1853 lie was appointed artist to the expedition tion sent by the government to explore a route for a pacific railroad froni from st paul to puget sound before starting on this expedition he deposited his collection of 0 indian paintings in the smithsonian institution various attempts were made to have congress purchase the collection for the nation but nothing came of them the pictures remained the property of the artist so when all of them except five were destroyed in the january 1805 fire in the smith conlan stanley suffered a great personal loss loaa A list hat of early painters of the indians would not be complete without including in it the name of carl bodmer a swiss artist who accompanied prince maximilian of aled neuwied when that distinguished german scientist made his journey up the missouri in 1832 31 34 bodmer not only left posterity a priceless heritage of indian portraits and pictures but he be also like catlin made drawings of forts fur trading posts battle scenes etc which are invaluable historical records in the picture by bodmer which Is reproduced above e are shown three typical warriors of the plains from left to right a missouri an oto and a police until a few years ago there was living in new york city another early painter of the indian whose work takes rank with that of the artists previously mentioned lie he was william de lit la mortagne Moo tagne gary cary a new yorker who in 1801 1861 with two companions made ills his way up the missouri river from st louis and during the next 13 years put down on canvas scenes from the fast vanishing frontier froc tier which are among the most valuable records of life in those days which we have others who might be listed even if lack 0 of f space prevents discussion of their contributions are capt seth eastman a teacher of drawing at the united states military academy at west point ft ho saw service 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 in carl wimar a german artist who lived among the indians for six months in 1857 and soke of whose bose paintings are preserved in his adopted city st louis F 0 C Q darley the leading illustrator of books bonks and magazin magaz ln articles three quarters of a century ago ard george deforest brush who Is still living and whose hose studies of the indian have helped lu lpyd to establish the redskin in an important place in the art history of america 0 by wern no union |
