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browsing 4347 items
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 BODMER, Karl (1809-1893)
Mató-Tópe. Adorned with the insignia of his warlike deeds [Tab. 14]
[Tab. 14]. Paris, Coblenz and London: [1839-1842]. Hand-coloured aquatint engraved by J. Hurlimann after Bodmer, blindstamp. Plate mark: 17 1/16 x 11 3/4 inches. Sheet size: 24 x 17 3/4 inches.
Mató-Tópe (`Four Bears') was the second chief of the Mandans, and a popular leader amongst his people, respected for his prowess in battle. This carefully-worked portrait was carried out by Bodmer during the travellers' winter stop-over at Fort Clark in 1833-1834, Mató-Tópe was keen on having his portrait painted and also on painting and, as a frequent visitor, he closely observed both Bodmer and Prince Maximilian at work. Here Mató-Tópe presents a living record of his bravery in battle. In his hair he wears a wooden knife to represent the weapon he wrestled from a Cheyenne, the six coloured wooden sticks represent gunshot wounds he has received, the split turkey feather stands for an arrow injury and the others feathers probably represent other coup. His membership of the prestigious Dog Society is signaled by the cluster of painted owl plumage at the back of his head, the barred stripes on his arm represent more coup and the ochre hand on his chest indicates that he has taken prisoners.
Karl Bodmer's images show great versatility and technical virtuosity and give us a uniquely accomplished and detailed picture of a previously little understood (and soon to vanish) way of life. Swiss-born Bodmer was engaged by Prince Maximilian zu Wied-Neuwied (1782-1867) specifically to provide a record of his travels in North America, principally among the Plains Indians. In the company of David Dreidoppel (Prince Maximilian's servant and hunting companion), their travels in North America were to last from 1832 to 1834. Well-armed with information and advice, the party finally left St.Louis, on the most important stage of their travels, aboard the steamer Yellow Stone on April 10 1833. They proceeded up the treacherous Missouri River along the line of forts established by the American Fur Company. At Bellevue they encountered their first Indians, then went on to make contact with the Sioux tribe, learning of and recording their little known ceremonial dances and powerful pride and dignity. Transferring from the Yellow Stone to another steamer, the Assiniboin, they continued to Fort Clark, visiting there the Mandan, Mintari and Crow tribes, then the Assiniboins at Fort Union, the main base of the American Fur Company. On a necessarily much smaller vessel they journeyed through the extraordinary geological scenery of that section of the Missouri to Fort Mackenzie in Montana, establishing a cautious friendship with the fearsome Blackfeet. From this, the westernmost point reached, it was considered too dangerous to continue and the return journey downstream began. The winter brought its own difficulties and discomforts, but Bodmer was still able to execute numerous studies of villages, dances and especially the people, who were often both intrigued and delighted by his work. The portraits are particularly notable for their capturing of individual personalities, as well as forming a primary account of what were to become virtually lost cultures.
Graff 4648; Howes M443a; Pilling 2521; Sabin 47014; Wagner-Camp 76:1.
#4229 $9,000.00  
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 BODMER, Karl (1809-1893)
Dacota Woman and Assiniboin Girl [Tab. 9]
[Tab. 9]. Paris, Coblenz and London: 1839-1842. Hand-coloured aquatint engraving by Desmadryl. Sheet size: 24 1/2 x 18 inches.
A fine full-length double portrait, a composite from drawings made by Bodmer on 1 June 1833 and October 1833. The woman is Chan-Chä-Uiá-Teüin (`Woman of the Crow Nation') whose portrait was painted at Fort Pierre, her dress is trimmed with white beads and has a fringe of twisted metal cones (`tinklers') at the hem which would have made a musical sound as she walked. Over the dress she wears a painted summer robe of buffalo skin with the hair removed, the colourful pattern on the robe is called a box and border style. The child is an unusual subject for Bodmer, a little Blackfoot girl but living with the Assiniboins: perhaps a captive taken during a skirmish. She wears leggings and ornaments that are smaller versions of those worn by adults.
Karl Bodmer's images show great versatility and technical virtuosity and give us a uniquely accomplished and detailed picture of a previously little understood (and soon to vanish) way of life. Swiss-born Bodmer was engaged by Prince Maximilian zu Wied-Neuwied (1782-1867) specifically to provide a record of his travels in North America, principally among the Plains Indians. In the company of David Dreidoppel (Prince Maximilian's servant and hunting companion), their travels in North America were to last from 1832 to 1834. Well-armed with information and advice, the party finally left St.Louis, on the most important stage of their travels, aboard the steamer Yellow Stone on April 10 1833. They proceeded up the treacherous Missouri River along the line of forts established by the American Fur Company. At Bellevue they encountered their first Indians, then went on to make contact with the Sioux tribe, learning of and recording their little known ceremonial dances and powerful pride and dignity. Transferring from the Yellow Stone to another steamer, the Assiniboin, they continued to Fort Clark, visiting there the Mandan, Mintari and Crow tribes, then the Assiniboins at Fort Union, the main base of the American Fur Company. On a necessarily much smaller vessel they journeyed through the extraordinary geological scenery of that section of the Missouri to Fort Mackenzie in Montana, establishing a cautious friendship with the fearsome Blackfeet. From this, the westernmost point reached, it was considered too dangerous to continue and the return journey downstream began. The winter brought its own difficulties and discomforts, but Bodmer was still able to execute numerous studies of villages, dances and especially the people, who were often both intrigued and delighted by his work. The portraits are particularly notable for their capturing of individual personalities, as well as forming a primary account of what were to become virtually lost cultures.
Graff 4648; Howes M443a; Pilling 2521; Sabin 47014; Wagner-Camp 76:1.
#4232$4,500.00
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 BODMER, Karl (1809-1893)
Remarkable Hills on the upper Missouri [Tab. 35]
[Tab. 35]. Paris, Coblenz and London: [1839-1842]. Hand-coloured aquatint engraving by Salathé after Bodmer, blindstamp. Very small tears to right blank margin not affecting plate area. Plate mark: 15 7/8 x 20 5/8 inches. Sheet size: 18 x 24 5/8 inches.
A composite plate made up from twenty separate views, but with plain borders between each image. Numbered in the plate, they were all sketched during the journey up river aboard the 60-foot keelboat Flora. Prince Maximilian and his party left Fort Union on 6 July and eventually arrived at Fort McKenzie on 9 August 1833 traveling through a number of different regions including the Mauvaises Terres (eg. no. 21 in the present composite) and the Stone Walls (no. 10 and others, an area that Maximilian wrote of as `the most interesting part of the whole course of the Missouri').
Karl Bodmer's images show great versatility and technical virtuosity and give us a uniquely accomplished and detailed picture of a previously little understood (and soon to vanish) way of life. Swiss-born Bodmer was engaged by Prince Maximilian zu Wied-Neuwied (1782-1867) specifically to provide a record of his travels in North America, principally among the Plains Indians. In the company of David Dreidoppel (Prince Maximilian's servant and hunting companion), their travels in North America were to last from 1832 to 1834. Well-armed with information and advice, the party finally left St.Louis, on the most important stage of their travels, aboard the steamer Yellow Stone on April 10 1833. They proceeded up the treacherous Missouri River along the line of forts established by the American Fur Company. At Bellevue they encountered their first Indians, then went on to make contact with the Sioux tribe, learning of and recording their little known ceremonial dances and powerful pride and dignity. Transferring from the Yellow Stone to another steamer, the Assiniboin, they continued to Fort Clark, visiting there the Mandan, Mintari and Crow tribes, then the Assiniboins at Fort Union, the main base of the American Fur Company. On a necessarily much smaller vessel they journeyed through the extraordinary geological scenery of that section of the Missouri to Fort Mackenzie in Montana, establishing a cautious friendship with the fearsome Blackfeet. From this, the westernmost point reached, it was considered too dangerous to continue and the return journey downstream began. The winter brought its own difficulties and discomforts, but Bodmer was still able to execute numerous studies of villages, dances and especially the people, who were often both intrigued and delighted by his work. The portraits are particularly notable for their capturing of individual personalities, as well as forming a primary account of what were to become virtually lost cultures.
Graff 4648; Howes M443a; Pilling 2521; Sabin 47014; Wagner-Camp 76:1.
#4235$2,250.00
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 BODMER, Karl (1809-1893)
Mehkskeme-Sukahs. Blackfoot-chief. Tátsicki Stomick. Piëkann Chief [Tab. 45]
[Tab. 45]. Paris, Coblenz and London: [1839-1842]. Hand-coloured aquatint engraving by Allais after Bodmer, blindstamp. Plate mark: 14 1/8 x 18 inches. Sheet size: 18 x 24 5/8 inches.
A fine half-length double portrait by Bodmer of two Blackfoot chiefs: Prince Maximilian referred to Mehkskéhme-Sukáhs [`Iron Shirt'] as the most distinguished of the several chiefs who gathered to welcome the arrival of the keelboat Flora at Fort McKenzie on 9 August 1833. At the time he was wearing a lace-trimmed scarlet uniform obtained from the British traders as a gift. He posed for this portrait on August 11th wearing a hide shirt decorated with otter fur, beadwork and metal trade buttons. In his hair are feathers, a bear claw and what appears to be a small ermine with blue beads for eyes. Tátsicki-Stomíck [`Middle Bull'] was probably the principal chief of the Piegan Blackfoot. He was a serious thoughtful man who had sought to maintain an amicable trading relationship between his people and the various companies competing for hides and pelts. Maximilian had particularly admired a shirt of his made from the skin of a bighorn sheep, richly ornamented with ermine, feathers and tufts of hair, and Maximilian lamented that for the present portrait he wore a much simpler shirt decorated with simple beadwork.
Karl Bodmer's images show great versatility and technical virtuosity and give us a uniquely accomplished and detailed picture of a previously little understood (and soon to vanish) way of life. Swiss-born Bodmer was engaged by Prince Maximilian zu Wied-Neuwied (1782-1867) specifically to provide a record of his travels in North America, principally among the Plains Indians. In the company of David Dreidoppel (Prince Maximilian's servant and hunting companion), their travels in North America were to last from 1832 to 1834. Well-armed with information and advice, the party finally left St.Louis, on the most important stage of their travels, aboard the steamer Yellow Stone on April 10 1833. They proceeded up the treacherous Missouri River along the line of forts established by the American Fur Company. At Bellevue they encountered their first Indians, then went on to make contact with the Sioux tribe, learning of and recording their little known ceremonial dances and powerful pride and dignity. Transferring from the Yellow Stone to another steamer, the Assiniboin, they continued to Fort Clark, visiting there the Mandan, Mintari and Crow tribes, then the Assiniboins at Fort Union, the main base of the American Fur Company. On a necessarily much smaller vessel they journeyed through the extraordinary geological scenery of that section of the Missouri to Fort Mackenzie in Montana, establishing a cautious friendship with the fearsome Blackfeet. From this, the westernmost point reached, it was considered too dangerous to continue and the return journey downstream began. The winter brought its own difficulties and discomforts, but Bodmer was still able to execute numerous studies of villages, dances and especially the people, who were often both intrigued and delighted by his work. The portraits are particularly notable for their capturing of individual personalities, as well as forming a primary account of what were to become virtually lost cultures.
Graff 4648; Howes M443a; Pilling 2521; Sabin 47014; Wagner-Camp 76:1.
#4236$3,000.00
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 BODMER, Karl (1809-1893)
[Mouth of the Fox River (Indiana) [Tab. 5]
[Tab. 5]. Paris, Coblenz and London: 1839-1842]. Hand-coloured aquatint engraving by Himely after Bodmer, issue with no imprint line and with no English title, blindstamp. Plate mark: 16 1/4 x 21 1/4 inches. Sheet size: 17 3/4 x 24 9/16 inches.
A highly evocative view of the confluence of the Fox and Wabash Rivers: the almost pre-Columbian scene is shown at sunset, the final red light of the sun adding an ochre wash to the entire scene. Cattle drink from their watering-place on the opposite bank, a flock of Carolina Parrakeets settles down noisily at the roost for the night, beneath a Bald Eagle perches watchfully: all this is allied with the untamed nature of the landscape and gives us a view of America as it was before the arrival of the white man. Prince Maximilian's health had suffered on the journey out to New Harmony, and during November and December 1832, whilst he recovered, Bodmer and Dreidoppel made many excursions along the rivers in search of zoological specimens. On 6 December 1832 Maximilian was sufficiently recovered to accompany them and as he recorded in his journal `Mr. Bodmer made a drawing from an interesting landscape, the estuary of the Fox River into the Wabash', he goes on, the water was `clear and dark green' and the surrounding forest of `colossal Plantanus trees were shining white in the densely tangled thicket'.
Karl Bodmer's images show great versatility and technical virtuosity and give us a uniquely accomplished and detailed picture of a previously little understood (and soon to vanish) way of life. Swiss-born Bodmer was engaged by Prince Maximilian zu Wied-Neuwied (1782-1867) specifically to provide a record of his travels in North America, principally among the Plains Indians. In the company of David Dreidoppel (Prince Maximilian's servant and hunting companion), their travels in North America were to last from 1832 to 1834. They arrived in Boston in July 1832, traveled on to Philadelphia, where they stayed with Napoleon Bonaparte's elder brother Joseph. From here they headed west across Pennsylvania across the Alleghenies to Pittsburgh and the Ohio country, visiting all the important German settlements en route. Their most important stop on their route west was at the utopian colony of New Harmony in Indiana. The Prince spent five months there in the company of some of the country's leading scientific men, and studying all the relevant literature on backcountry America. On 24 March 1833 the party reached St. Louis, Missouri, and the start of the journey into Indian country.
Graff 4648; Howes M443a; Pilling 2521; Sabin 47014; Wagner-Camp 76:1.
#4237$4,500.00
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 BODMER, Karl (1809-1893)
Herd of Bisons on the Upper Missouri [Tab. 40]
[Tab. 40]. Paris, Coblenz and London: 1839-1842. Hand-coloured aquatint engraving. Sheet size: 18 x 24 3/8 inches.
Prince Maximilian and his party left Fort Union on 6 July aboard the 60-foot keelboat Flora and eventually arrived at Fort McKenzie on 9 August 1833. On leaving Fort Union the hunters were again able to find a ready supply of game from which to provide meat for the keelboat passengers. Buffalo appeared near the river on July 10 and several were taken. On 14 July below the mouth of the Milk River near the junction of Porcupine Creek the buffalo appeared again, the present image is based on these incidents and shows the buffalo grazing and coming to the waters edge to drink on the Missouri bottoms, all against a backdrop of the sky turned red and gold by the last rays of the western sunset.
Karl Bodmer's images show great versatility and technical virtuosity and give us a uniquely accomplished and detailed picture of a previously little understood (and soon to vanish) way of life. Swiss-born Bodmer was engaged by Prince Maximilian zu Wied-Neuwied (1782-1867) specifically to provide a record of his travels in North America, principally among the Plains Indians. In the company of David Dreidoppel (Prince Maximilian's servant and hunting companion), their travels in North America were to last from 1832 to 1834. Well-armed with information and advice, the party finally left St.Louis, on the most important stage of their travels, aboard the steamer Yellow Stone on April 10 1833. They proceeded up the treacherous Missouri River along the line of forts established by the American Fur Company. At Bellevue they encountered their first Indians, then went on to make contact with the Sioux tribe, learning of and recording their little known ceremonial dances and powerful pride and dignity. Transferring from the Yellow Stone to another steamer, the Assiniboin, they continued to Fort Clark, visiting there the Mandan, Mintari and Crow tribes, then the Assiniboins at Fort Union, the main base of the American Fur Company. On a necessarily much smaller vessel they journeyed through the extraordinary geological scenery of that section of the Missouri to Fort Mackenzie in Montana, establishing a cautious friendship with the fearsome Blackfeet. From this, the westernmost point reached, it was considered too dangerous to continue and the return journey downstream began. The winter brought it's own difficulties and discomforts, but Bodmer was still able to execute numerous studies of villages, dances and especially the people, who were often both intrigued and delighted by his work. The portraits are particularly notable for their capturing of individual personalities, as well as forming a primary account of what were to become virtually lost cultures
Graff 4648; Howes M443a; Pilling 2521; Sabin 47014; Wagner-Camp 76:1
#4238$4,750.00
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 BODMER, Karl (1809-1893)
Tombs of Assiniboin Indians on Trees [Tab. 30]
[Tab. 30]. Paris, Coblenz and London: [1839-1842]. Hand-coloured aquatint engraving by Aubert père after Bodmer, blindstamp. Very good condition. Plate mark: 16 1/2 x 14 inches. Sheet size: 23 15/16 x 17 3/4 inches.
An elemental scene painted by Bodmer on July 4, 1833, with the quiet spirituality of the place disturbed by the prowling wolves at the foot of the tree burials. The travelers aboard the steamer Assiniboine arrived at Fort Union, the uppermost point for steamer traffic just above the junction of the Yellowstone and Missouri Rivers, on June 24, 1833, after a journey of seventy-five days up the Missouri River from St. Louis. They stayed until July 6, when they departed upriver by keelboat for Fort McKenzie. The Assiniboins, like the Sioux, frequently placed their dead on platforms secured to scaffolds or tree limbs: here the quietness of the place is emphasized by the luxuriant trees and undergrowth surrounding the clearing in which the burial stands.
Karl Bodmer's images show great versatility and technical virtuosity and give us a uniquely accomplished and detailed picture of a previously little understood (and soon to vanish) way of life. Swiss-born Bodmer was engaged by Prince Maximilian zu Wied-Neuwied (1782-1867) specifically to provide a record of his travels in North America, principally among the Plains Indians. In the company of David Dreidoppel (Prince Maximilian's servant and hunting companion), their travels in North America were to last from 1832 to 1834. Well-armed with information and advice, the party finally left St. Louis, on the most important stage of their travels, aboard the steamer Yellow Stone on April 10, 1833. They proceeded up the treacherous Missouri River along the line of forts established by the American Fur Company. At Bellevue they encountered their first Indians, then went on to make contact with the Sioux tribe, learning of and recording their little-known ceremonial dances and powerful pride and dignity. Transferring from the Yellow Stone to another steamer, the Assiniboin, they continued to Fort Clark, visiting there the Mandan, Mintari, and Crow tribes, then the Assiniboins at Fort Union, the main base of the American Fur Company. On a necessarily much smaller vessel, they journeyed through the extraordinary geological scenery of that section of the Missouri to Fort Mackenzie in Montana, establishing a cautious friendship with the fearsome Blackfeet. From this, the westernmost point reached, it was considered too dangerous to continue and the return journey downstream began. The winter brought its own difficulties and discomforts, but Bodmer was still able to execute numerous studies of the villages, the dances, and especially the people, who were often both intrigued and delighted by his work. The portraits are particularly notable for their capturing of individual personalities, as well as forming a primary account of what were to become virtually lost cultures.
Graff, 4648; Howes, M443a; Pilling, 2521; Sabin, 47014; Wagner-Camp, 76:1.
#4243$1,800.00
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 BODMER, Karl (1809-1893).
Woman of the Snake Tribe. Woman of the Cree Tribe [Tab. 33]
[Tab. 33]. Paris, Coblenz and London: [1839-1842]. Hand-coloured aquatint engraving by P. Legrand after Bodmer, blindstamp. Repaired tear to lower blank margin, three small repaired tears to left blank margin, none affecting the plate area. Plate mark: 14 1/4 x 18 1/4 inches. Sheet size: 18 x 24 3/4 inches.
A fine double-portrait composed by Bodmer from individual portraits executed at Fort McKenzie and Fort Union. The figure on the left is of a Shoshone (or Shoshoni) woman who was the wife of Marcereau, a fur company employee, who was based at Fort McKenzie. Bodmer sketched her on about 6 September in June of 1833. There were a number of Shoshone women at the fort who were said to have been captured from their home territory west of the Rocky Mountains by raiding Blackfeet. The figure to the right is a Cree woman, married to Deschamps, a man employed by the fur company as a hunter. She was sketched by Bodmer in October 1833 at Fort Union as the party made its way from Fort Mckenzie back down to Fort Clarke and their winter quarters. The blue-black patterning to the chin is a quite distinctive Cree pattern.
Karl Bodmer's images show great versatility and technical virtuosity and give us a uniquely accomplished and detailed picture of a previously little understood (and soon to vanish) way of life. Swiss-born Bodmer was engaged by Prince Maximilian zu Wied-Neuwied (1782-1867) specifically to provide a record of his travels in North America, principally among the Plains Indians. In the company of David Dreidoppel (Prince Maximilian's servant and hunting companion), their travels in North America were to last from 1832 to 1834. Well-armed with information and advice, the party finally left St.Louis, on the most important stage of their travels, aboard the steamer Yellow Stone on April 10 1833. They proceeded up the treacherous Missouri River along the line of forts established by the American Fur Company. At Bellevue they encountered their first Indians, then went on to make contact with the Sioux tribe, learning of and recording their little known ceremonial dances and powerful pride and dignity. Transferring from the Yellow Stone to another steamer, the Assiniboin, they continued to Fort Clark, visiting there the Mandan, Mintari and Crow tribes, then the Assiniboins at Fort Union, the main base of the American Fur Company. On a necessarily much smaller vessel they journeyed through the extraordinary geological scenery of that section of the Missouri to Fort Mackenzie in Montana, establishing a cautious friendship with the fearsome Blackfeet. From this, the westernmost point reached, it was considered too dangerous to continue and the return journey downstream began. The winter brought its own difficulties and discomforts, but Bodmer was still able to execute numerous studies of villages, dances and especially the people, who were often both intrigued and delighted by his work. The portraits are particularly notable for their capturing of individual personalities, as well as forming a primary account of what were to become virtually lost cultures.
Graff 4648; Howes M443a; Pilling 2521; Sabin 47014; Wagner-Camp 76:1.
#4245$3,000.00
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 BODMER, Karl (1809-1893)
Junction of the Yellow-Stone River with the Missouri [Tab. 29]
[Tab. 29]. Paris, Coblenz and London: [1839-1842]. Hand-coloured aquatint engraving by Salathé after Bodmer, blindstamp. Plate mark: 16 x 21 1/4 inches. Sheet size: 17 3/16 x 23 3/4 inches.
This title was printed from two different plates, one engraved by Salathé with six pronghorn antelope in the foreground and the French title starting 'Réunion...', the second by L. Weber with nine antelope in the foreground, a further seven in the mid-ground and the French title starting 'Confluent...'
The travelers, aboard the steamer Assiniboine arrived at Fort Union, just above the junction of the Yellowstone and Missouri Rivers, on 24 June 1833, after a journey of seventy-five days up the Missouri River from St.Louis. They stayed until 6 July, when they departed upriver by keelboat for Fort McKenzie. Fort Union was the uppermost point of steamer traffic at the time of Bodmer's visit and like most fur company posts on the Missouri at this time, was situated on a low open prairie sufficiently large to accommodate the large encampments of numerous Indians during the height of the trading season.
Karl Bodmer's images show great versatility and technical virtuosity and give us a uniquely accomplished and detailed picture of a previously little understood (and soon to vanish) way of life. Swiss-born Bodmer was engaged by Prince Maximilian zu Wied-Neuwied (1782-1867) specifically to provide a record of his travels in North America, principally among the Plains Indians. In the company of David Dreidoppel (Prince Maximilian's servant and hunting companion), their travels in North America were to last from 1832 to 1834. Well-armed with information and advice, the party finally left St.Louis, on the most important stage of their travels, aboard the steamer Yellow Stone on April 10 1833. They proceeded up the treacherous Missouri River along the line of forts established by the American Fur Company. At Bellevue they encountered their first Indians, then went on to make contact with the Sioux tribe, learning of and recording their little known ceremonial dances and powerful pride and dignity. Transferring from the Yellow Stone to another steamer, the Assiniboin, they continued to Fort Clark, visiting there the Mandan, Mintari and Crow tribes, then the Assiniboins at Fort Union, the main base of the American Fur Company. On a necessarily much smaller vessel they journeyed through the extraordinary geological scenery of that section of the Missouri to Fort Mackenzie in Montana, establishing a cautious friendship with the fearsome Blackfeet. From this, the westernmost point reached, it was considered too dangerous to continue and the return journey downstream began. The winter brought its own difficulties and discomforts, but Bodmer was still able to execute numerous studies of villages, dances and especially the people, who were often both intrigued and delighted by his work. The portraits are particularly notable for their capturing of individual personalities, as well as forming a primary account of what was to become virtually lost cultures.
Graff 4648; Howes M443a; Pilling 2521; Sabin 47014; Wagner-Camp 76:1
#4248$5,000.00
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 BODMER, Karl (1809-1893)
The White Castels on the Upper Missouri [Tab. 37]
[Tab. 37]. Paris, Coblenz and London: [1839-1842]. Hand-coloured aquatint engraving by Himely after Bodmer, blindstamp. One small repaired tear to upper blank margin not affecting plate area. Plate mark: 15 3/4 x 20 5/8 inches. Sheet size: 17 1/4 x 23 7/8 inches.
Prince Maximilian and his party left Fort Union on 6 July aboard the 60-foot keelboat Flora and eventually arrived at Fort McKenzie on 9 August 1833. In his journal for 25 July Prince Maximilian describes the parties first view of the rock formation: `we reached a turn in the river, and sailed, for some time, rapidly upwards. This brought us to a remarkable place, where we thought that we saw before us, two white mountain castles. On the mountain of the south bank, there was a thick, snow-white layer, a far-extended stratum of a white sand-stone, which had been partly acted upon by the waters. At the end where it is exposed, being intersected by the valley, two high pieces, in the shape of buildings, had remained standing, and upon them lay remains of a more compact, yellowish red, thinner stratum of sand-stone, which formed the roofs of the united building. On the façade of the whole building, there were small perpendicular slits, which appeared to be so many windows'.
Karl Bodmer's images show great versatility and technical virtuosity and give us a uniquely accomplished and detailed picture of a previously little understood (and soon to vanish) way of life. Swiss-born Bodmer was engaged by Prince Maximilian zu Wied-Neuwied (1782-1867) specifically to provide a record of his travels in North America, principally among the Plains Indians. In the company of David Dreidoppel (Prince Maximilian's servant and hunting companion), their travels in North America were to last from 1832 to 1834. Well-armed with information and advice, the party finally left St.Louis, on the most important stage of their travels, aboard the steamer Yellow Stone on April 10 1833. They proceeded up the treacherous Missouri River along the line of forts established by the American Fur Company. At Bellevue they encountered their first Indians, then went on to make contact with the Sioux tribe, learning of and recording their little known ceremonial dances and powerful pride and dignity. Transferring from the Yellow Stone to another steamer, the Assiniboin, they continued to Fort Clark, visiting there the Mandan, Mintari and Crow tribes, then the Assiniboins at Fort Union, the main base of the American Fur Company. On a necessarily much smaller vessel they journeyed through the extraordinary geological scenery of that section of the Missouri to Fort Mackenzie in Montana, establishing a cautious friendship with the fearsome Blackfeet. From this, the westernmost point reached, it was considered too dangerous to continue and the return journey downstream began. The winter brought its own difficulties and discomforts, but Bodmer was still able to execute numerous studies of villages, dances and especially the people, who were often both intrigued and delighted by his work. The portraits are particularly notable for their capturing of individual personalities, as well as forming a primary account of what were to become virtually lost cultures.
Graff 4648; Howes M443a; Pilling 2521; Sabin 47014; Wagner-Camp 76:1.
#4250$7,000.00
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 BODMER, Karl (1809-1893)
Remarkable Hills on the upper Missouri [Tab. 34]
[Tab. 34]. Paris, Coblenz and London: 1839-1842. Hand-coloured aquatint engraving by Salathé after Bodmer, blindstamp. Plate mark: 16 x 20 3/4 inches. Sheet size: 17 5/16 x 23 11/16 inches.
A composite plate made up from nine separate views, but with plain borders between each image. Numbered in the plate from 1 to 9 they were all sketched during the journey up river aboard the 60-foot keelboat Flora. Prince Maximilian and his party left Fort Union on 6 July and eventually arrived at Fort McKenzie on 9 August 1833 traveling through a number of different regions including the Mauvaises Terres and the Stone Walls (e.g. Nos. 2, 6 and others in the present composite, an area that Maximilian wrote of as `the most interesting part of the whole course of the Missouri'), also included are images of formations now known as Dike and Citadel Rock (nos. 4 and 5).
Karl Bodmer's images show great versatility and technical virtuosity and give us a uniquely accomplished and detailed picture of a previously little understood (and soon to vanish) way of life. Swiss-born Bodmer was engaged by Prince Maximilian zu Wied-Neuwied (1782-1867) specifically to provide a record of his travels in North America, principally among the Plains Indians. In the company of David Dreidoppel (Prince Maximilian's servant and hunting companion), their travels in North America were to last from 1832 to 1834. Well-armed with information and advice, the party finally left St.Louis, on the most important stage of their travels, aboard the steamer Yellow Stone on April 10 1833. They proceeded up the treacherous Missouri River along the line of forts established by the American Fur Company. At Bellevue they encountered their first Indians, then went on to make contact with the Sioux tribe, learning of and recording their little known ceremonial dances and powerful pride and dignity. Transferring from the Yellow Stone to another steamer, the Assiniboin, they continued to Fort Clark, visiting there the Mandan, Mintari and Crow tribes, then the Assiniboins at Fort Union, the main base of the American Fur Company. On a necessarily much smaller vessel they journeyed through the extraordinary geological scenery of that section of the Missouri to Fort Mackenzie in Montana, establishing a cautious friendship with the fearsome Blackfeet. From this, the westernmost point reached, it was considered too dangerous to continue and the return journey downstream began. The winter brought its own difficulties and discomforts, but Bodmer was still able to execute numerous studies of villages, dances and especially the people, who were often both intrigued and delighted by his work. The portraits are particularly notable for their capturing of individual personalities, as well as forming a primary account of what were to become virtually lost cultures.
Graff 4648; Howes M443a; Pilling 2521; Sabin 47014; Wagner-Camp 76:1.
#4251$2,250.00
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 BODMER, Karl (1809-1893)
Indian Utensils and Arms [Tab. 48]
[Tab. 48]. Paris, Coblenz and London: [1839-1842]. Hand-coloured aquatint engraving by Du Casse after Bodmer, blindstamp. Plate mark: 16 1/8 x 20 7/8 inches. Sheet size: 17 3/4 x 24 1/2 inches.
An elaborately composed grouping of Indian artifacts based on drawings made of items that Prince Maximilian purchased and brought back to Europe as well as belongings sketched by Bodmer in situ and retained by their original Indian owners. This cornucopia of Indian manufacturing includes 2. stone knife found near New Harmony, Indiana; 4. gunstock type club; 5. lance, Sauk and Fox Tribe; 6. shield; 8. rawhide storage container, ?Cheyenne Tribe; 9. moccasins, ?Iroquois Tribe; 10. quiver, bow and arrows, ?Crow or Sioux Tribe; 12. pipe, Mandan Tribe; 14 ball, Mandan or Hidatsa Tribe; 15. hoop and pole game, Mandan Tribe; 16. war whistle, Mandan Tribe; 17. drum, Mandan Tribe; 18. moccasins, Sioux Tribe.
Karl Bodmer's images show great versatility and technical virtuosity and give us a uniquely accomplished and detailed picture of a previously little understood (and soon to vanish) way of life. Swiss-born Bodmer was engaged by Prince Maximilian zu Wied-Neuwied (1782-1867) specifically to provide a record of his travels in North America, principally among the Plains Indians. In the company of David Dreidoppel (Prince Maximilian's servant and hunting companion), their travels in North America were to last from 1832 to 1834. Well-armed with information and advice, the party finally left St.Louis, on the most important stage of their travels, aboard the steamer Yellow Stone on April 10 1833. They proceeded up the treacherous Missouri River along the line of forts established by the American Fur Company. At Bellevue they encountered their first Indians, then went on to make contact with the Sioux tribe, learning of and recording their little known ceremonial dances and powerful pride and dignity. Transferring from the Yellow Stone to another steamer, the Assiniboin, they continued to Fort Clark, visiting there the Mandan, Mintari and Crow tribes, then the Assiniboins at Fort Union, the main base of the American Fur Company. On a necessarily much smaller vessel they journeyed through the extraordinary geological scenery of that section of the Missouri to Fort Mackenzie in Montana, establishing a cautious friendship with the fearsome Blackfeet. From this, the westernmost point reached, it was considered too dangerous to continue and the return journey downstream began. The winter brought its own difficulties and discomforts, but Bodmer was still able to execute numerous studies of villages, dances and especially the people, who were often both intrigued and delighted by his work. The portraits are particularly notable for their capturing of individual personalities, as well as forming a primary account of what were to become virtually lost cultures.
Graff 4648; Howes M443a; Pilling 2521; Sabin 47014; Wagner-Camp 76:1.
#4252$4,000.00
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 BODMER, Karl (1809-1893)
Sih-Chidä & Mahchsi-Karehde. Mandan Indians [Tab. 20]
[Tab. 20]. Paris, Coblenz and London: [1839-1842]. Hand-coloured aquatint engraving by Hürlimann after Bodmer, blindstamp. Small repaired tear to upper blank margin not affecting plate area. Plate mark: 19 3/4 x 16 3/8 inches. Sheet size: 24 7/8 x 17 7/8 inches.
A fine full-length double portrait by Bodmer, composed from sketches made during the winter of 1833-1834 during the travelers sojourn at Fort Clark, on the banks of the upper Missouri River. On the left stands Sih-Chidä (`Yellow Feather') a young warrior who was fascinated by the work of the two foreigners. His portrait was carried out over three days in early December 1833. In it, he wears the beaded hair brows with long strings of dentalium shells and beads, a member of the Dog Society, the cluster of feathers at the back of his head may be an insignia of that group. Around his neck is draped a tippet of otter fur, the ends fringed with quill-wrapped leather. His heel-trailers are made of otter fur lined with red cloth and represent battle exploits. On the right is Mahchsi-Karehde (`Flying War Eagle'), who at just over six feet was the tallest of the Mandan. He also showed much interest in Bodmer's work, and over the winter was a frequent visitor, often bringing friends to look at Bodmer's drawings. He was a member of band of warriors that regulated the important affairs of the tribe. The wolf tail on his heels and painted eagle feather in his hair denote battle coup. His rich clothing and general demeanor all denote a proud and successful man.
Karl Bodmer's images show great versatility and technical virtuosity and give us a uniquely accomplished and detailed picture of a previously little understood (and soon to vanish) way of life. Swiss-born Bodmer was engaged by Prince Maximilian zu Wied-Neuwied (1782-1867) specifically to provide a record of his travels in North America, principally among the Plains Indians. In the company of David Dreidoppel (Prince Maximilian's servant and hunting companion), their travels in North America were to last from 1832 to 1834. Well-armed with information and advice, the party finally left St.Louis, on the most important stage of their travels, aboard the steamer Yellow Stone on April 10 1833. They proceeded up the treacherous Missouri River along the line of forts established by the American Fur Company. At Bellevue they encountered their first Indians, then went on to make contact with the Sioux tribe, learning of and recording their little known ceremonial dances and powerful pride and dignity. Transferring from the Yellow Stone to another steamer, the Assiniboin, they continued to Fort Clark, visiting there the Mandan, Mintari and Crow tribes, then the Assiniboins at Fort Union, the main base of the American Fur Company. On a necessarily much smaller vessel they journeyed through the extraordinary geological scenery of that section of the Missouri to Fort Mackenzie in Montana, establishing a cautious friendship with the fearsome Blackfeet. From this, the westernmost point reached, it was considered too dangerous to continue and the return journey downstream began. The winter brought its own difficulties and discomforts, but Bodmer was still able to execute numerous studies of villages, dances and especially the people, who were often both intrigued and delighted by his work. The portraits are particularly notable for their capturing of individual personalities, as well as forming a primary account of what were to become virtually lost cultures.
Graff 4648; Howes M443a; Pilling 2521; Sabin 47014; Wagner-Camp 76:1.
#4255$10,000.00
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 BODMER, Karl (1809-1893)
Fort Pierre on the Missouri [Tab. 10]
[Tab. 10]. Paris, Coblentz and London: 1840. Aquatint engraving, printed in colours and finished by hand, by Salathé after Bodmer, state with date after English imprint, blindstamp. Cut to within platemark. Sheet size: 13 3/8 x 14 15/16 inches.
A highly evocative landscape which, with an echo of the vast Biblical epics of John Martin, captures the vastness of the frontier prairies: the Fort, one of the largest settlements of the American Fur Company, is dwarfed amid the huge expanse that surrounds it. Bodmer recorded this image on 29 April 1834 during the journey back down the Missouri River, on whose banks the Fort stands. The Fort, named for Pierre Chouteau of the American Fur Company, is shown with a neighboring encampment of Sioux Indians. The modern Pierre, South Dakota now stands on the far bank of the river.
Karl Bodmer's images show great versatility and technical virtuosity and give us a uniquely accomplished and detailed picture of a previously little understood (and soon to vanish) way of life. Swiss-born Bodmer was engaged by Prince Maximilian zu Wied-Neuwied (1782-1867) specifically to provide a record of his travels in North America, principally among the Plains Indians. In the company of David Dreidoppel (Prince Maximilian's servant and hunting companion), their travels in North America were to last from 1832 to 1834. Well-armed with information and advice, the party finally left St.Louis, on the most important stage of their travels, aboard the steamer Yellow Stone on April 10 1833. They proceeded up the treacherous Missouri River along the line of forts established by the American Fur Company. At Bellevue they encountered their first Indians, then went on to make contact with the Sioux tribe, learning of and recording their little known ceremonial dances and powerful pride and dignity. Transferring from the Yellow Stone to another steamer, the Assiniboin, they continued to Fort Clark, visiting there the Mandan, Mintari and Crow tribes, then the Assiniboins at Fort Union, the main base of the American Fur Company. On a necessarily much smaller vessel they journeyed through the extraordinary geological scenery of that section of the Missouri to Fort Mackenzie in Montana, establishing a cautious friendship with the fearsome Blackfeet. From this, the westernmost point reached, it was considered too dangerous to continue and the return journey downstream began. The winter brought its own difficulties and discomforts, but Bodmer was still able to execute numerous studies of villages, dances and especially the people, who were often both intrigued and delighted by his work. The portraits are particularly notable for their capturing of individual personalities, as well as forming a primary account of what was to become virtually lost cultures.
Graff 4648; Howes M443a; Pilling 2521; Sabin 47014; Wagner-Camp 76:1.
#4753$5,500.00
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 BODMER, Karl (1809-1893)
Péhriska-Rúhpa. [A Minatarre or big-bellied Indian] [Tab. 17]
[Tab. 17]. Paris, Coblenz and London: 1839-1842]. Hand-coloured aquatint engraving by Paul Legrand after Bodmer, state with three figures in the background, issue without imprint line or English sub-title. Plate mark: 20 x 14 1/2 inches. Sheet size: 24 1/4 x 17 3/8 inches.
There are two distinct states of this image: one with three small figures in the mid-ground to the right of the main figure, and a second where these figures have been removed
This powerful portrait of Péhriska-Rúhpa ('Two Ravens') presents the warrior and chief of the Hidatsa as a figure of great dignity. He adopts an attitude that would have been familiar to all men of power and rank, his worth displayed symbolically in his clothing and adornment. His shirt is trimmed with bands of bright yellow quillwork, elaborately fringed with ermine, locks of human hair and dyed horsehair. He wears a striped woolen breechclout and quilled leggings of deer skin. Around his neck is a necklace of bear claws, fastened to an otter-skin band and spaced with blue and white beads. Symbols of great wealth, these necklaces were made from the foreclaws of grizzly bears, preferably from animals taken in the spring when the claws were large comparatively unworn and showing white tips. A decorated buffalo robe over one shoulder and arm, Péhriska-Rúhpa holds his decorated pipe in the crook of his other arm. This is one of Bodmer's masterpieces of portraiture, and was carried out during the travellers' winter stop-over at Fort Clark in 1833-1834
Karl Bodmer's images show great versatility and technical virtuosity and give us a uniquely accomplished and detailed picture of a previously little understood (and soon to vanish) way of life. Swiss-born Bodmer was engaged by Prince Maximilian zu Wied-Neuwied (1782-1867) specifically to provide a record of his travels in North America, principally among the Plains Indians. In the company of David Dreidoppel (Prince Maximilian's servant and hunting companion), their travels in North America were to last from 1832 to 1834. Well-armed with information and advice, the party finally left St.Louis, on the most important stage of their travels, aboard the steamer Yellow Stone on April 10 1833. They proceeded up the treacherous Missouri River along the line of forts established by the American Fur Company. At Bellevue they encountered their first Indians, then went on to make contact with the Sioux tribe, learning of and recording their little known ceremonial dances and powerful pride and dignity. Transferring from the Yellow Stone to another steamer, the Assiniboin, they continued to Fort Clark, visiting there the Mandan, Mintari and Crow tribes, then the Assiniboins at Fort Union, the main base of the American Fur Company. On a necessarily much smaller vessel they journeyed through the extraordinary geological scenery of that section of the Missouri to Fort Mackenzie in Montana, establishing a cautious friendship with the fearsome Blackfeet. From this, the westernmost point reached, it was considered too dangerous to continue and the return journey downstream began. The winter brought its own difficulties and discomforts, but Bodmer was still able to execute numerous studies of villages, dances and especially the people, who were often both intrigued and delighted by his work. The portraits are particularly notable for their capturing of individual personalities, as well as forming a primary account of what were to become virtually lost cultures.
Graff 4648; Howes M443a; Pilling 2521; Sabin 47014; Wagner-Camp 76:1
#4757$12,500.00
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 BODMER, Karl (1809-1893)
Indians hunting the Bison [Tab. 31]
[Tab. 31]. Paris, Coblentz and London: [1839-1842]. Hand-coloured aquatint engraving by Ch. Vogel after Bodmer, blindstamp. Cut to within plate mark. Sheet size: 15 1/2 x 20 3/8 inches.
An archetypal scene from the American Northern Plains. Bodmer had taken an active part in a Buffalo hunt which took place on 11 October 1833 near Fort Union, as the travelers made their way back down the Missouri from Fort McKenzie to Fort Clarke where they were to overwinter. In the present image four Indians on horseback, armed only with bows and arrows, ride furiously in amongst the scattering herd of buffalo, the foremost figure has just brought down a large animal to his left, but has turned and already notched another arrow to his bow which he sights at another animal in front and to the right. A composite view, the animals are probably sketched from individuals Bodmer recorded during the October hunt.
Karl Bodmer's images show great versatility and technical virtuosity and give us a uniquely accomplished and detailed picture of a previously little understood (and soon to vanish) way of life. Swiss-born Bodmer was engaged by Prince Maximilian zu Wied-Neuwied (1782-1867) specifically to provide a record of his travels in North America, principally among the Plains Indians. In the company of David Dreidoppel (Prince Maximilian's servant and hunting companion), their travels in North America were to last from 1832 to 1834. Well-armed with information and advice, the party finally left St.Louis, on the most important stage of their travels, aboard the steamer Yellow Stone on April 10 1833. They proceeded up the treacherous Missouri River along the line of forts established by the American Fur Company. At Bellevue they encountered their first Indians, then went on to make contact with the Sioux tribe, learning of and recording their little known ceremonial dances and powerful pride and dignity. Transferring from the Yellow Stone to another steamer, the Assiniboin, they continued to Fort Clark, visiting there the Mandan, Mintari and Crow tribes, then the Assiniboins at Fort Union, the main base of the American Fur Company. On a necessarily much smaller vessel they journeyed through the extraordinary geological scenery of that section of the Missouri to Fort Mackenzie in Montana, establishing a cautious friendship with the fearsome Blackfeet. From this, the westernmost point reached, it was considered too dangerous to continue and the return journey downstream began. The winter brought its own difficulties and discomforts, but Bodmer was still able to execute numerous studies of villages, dances and especially the people, who were often both intrigued and delighted by his work. The portraits are particularly notable for their capturing of individual personalities, as well as forming a primary account of what was to become virtually lost cultures.
Graff 4648; Howes M443a; Pilling 2521; Sabin 47014; Wagner-Camp 76:1.
#4763$9,500.00
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 BODMER, Karl (1809-1893)
Cutoff-River. Branch of the Wabash [Vig. 8]
[Vig. 8]. Paris, Coblenz and London: [1839-1842]. Hand-coloured aquatint engraving by Weber after Bodmer, blindstamp. Plate mark: 9 x 12 3/4 inches. Sheet size: 17 3/4 x 24 3/8 inches.
A highly dramatic scene that amply displays Bodmer's love of the natural landscape. A day's excursion on a little frequented tributary of the Wabash draws to a close, the light is fading, the artist leaves his canoe wedged against a half-submerged tree-trunk long enough to make one final sketch before heading home. A Turkey Vulture settles down to roost. During Prince Maximilian's five month stay at New Harmony, Indiana, Bodmer had ample opportunity to explore the surrounding landscape. The present view was probably carried out in late November or early December 1832.
Karl Bodmer's images show great versatility and technical virtuosity and give us a uniquely accomplished and detailed picture of a previously little understood (and soon to vanish) way of life. Swiss-born Bodmer was engaged by Prince Maximilian zu Wied-Neuwied (1782-1867) specifically to provide a record of his travels in North America, principally among the Plains Indians. In the company of David Dreidoppel (Prince Maximilian's servant and hunting companion), their travels in North America were to last from 1832 to 1834. They arrived in Boston in July 1832, traveled on to Philadelphia, where they stayed with Napoleon Bonaparte's elder brother Joseph. From here they headed west across Pennsylvania across the Alleghenies to Pittsburgh and the Ohio country, visiting all the important German settlements en route. Their most important stop on their route west was at the utopian colony of New Harmony in Indiana. The Prince spent five months there in the company of some of the countries leading scientific men, and studying all the relevant literature on backcountry America. On 24 March 1833 the party reached St. Louis, Missouri, and the start of the journey into Indian country.
Graff 4648; Howes M443a; Pilling 2521; Sabin 47014; Wagner-Camp 76:1.
#4765$950.00
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 BODMER, Karl (1809-1893)
Snags (sunken trees) on the Missouri [Tab. 6]
[Tab. 6]. Paris, Coblenz and London: [1839-1842]. Hand-coloured aquatint engraving by L. Weber and Hurlimann after Bodmer, blindstamp. Plate mark: 14 1/4 x 17 inches. Sheet size: 17 7/8 x 24 5/16 inches.
An almost apocalyptic view of the treacherous waters of the Missouri River. The river was the longest in the country and was considered the most hazardous of all the western rivers to navigate. Edging their way between the rafts of driftwood became increasingly difficult for the travelers aboard the steamer Yellow Stone, as she made her way up river toward the mouth of the River Platte. On 26 April 1833 she passed the mouth of the Nemaha River and again encountered snags and sandbars. In his journal for that date Maximilian noted that `For a long time we could not get away from this and often ran aground… but finally with a little force of the engine we moved on'.
Karl Bodmer's images show great versatility and technical virtuosity and give us a uniquely accomplished and detailed picture of a previously little understood (and soon to vanish) way of life. Swiss-born Bodmer was engaged by Prince Maximilian zu Wied-Neuwied (1782-1867) specifically to provide a record of his travels in North America, principally among the Plains Indians. In the company of David Dreidoppel (Prince Maximilian's servant and hunting companion), their travels in North America were to last from 1832 to 1834. Well-armed with information and advice, the party finally left St.Louis, on the most important stage of their travels, aboard the steamer Yellow Stone on April 10 1833. They proceeded up the treacherous Missouri River along the line of forts established by the American Fur Company. At Bellevue they encountered their first Indians, then went on to make contact with the Sioux tribe, learning of and recording their little known ceremonial dances and powerful pride and dignity. Transferring from the Yellow Stone to another steamer, the Assiniboin, they continued to Fort Clark, visiting there the Mandan, Mintari and Crow tribes, then the Assiniboins at Fort Union, the main base of the American Fur Company. On a necessarily much smaller vessel they journeyed through the extraordinary geological scenery of that section of the Missouri to Fort Mackenzie in Montana, establishing a cautious friendship with the fearsome Blackfeet. From this, the westernmost point reached, it was considered too dangerous to continue and the return journey downstream began. The winter brought its own difficulties and discomforts, but Bodmer was still able to execute numerous studies of villages, dances and especially the people, who were often both intrigued and delighted by his work. The portraits are particularly notable for their capturing of individual personalities, as well as forming a primary account of what were to become virtually lost cultures.
Graff 4648; Howes M443a; Pilling 2521; Sabin 47014; Wagner-Camp 76:1.
#4773$3,250.00
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 BODMER, Karl (1809-1893)
Saukie and Fox Indians [Vig. 10]
[Vig. 10]. Paris, Coblenz and London: 1839. Hand-coloured aquatint engraving by Hürlimann after Bodmer, engraver's name and vignette number not visible. Lower left corner with section repaired, just touching plate area. Plate mark: 10 1/8 x 13 3/8 inches. Sheet size: 11 x 14 3/16 inches.
Bodmer first encountered the Sauk (or Sac) and Fox (Mesquaki or Muskwaki) Indians in St.Louis in March of 1833. A group had come to plead for the release of Chief Black Hawk who had engaged in a series of running battles with the US army which had ended in his defeat and capture on 3 August 1832. Bodmer pictures this alert but wary group as they await a decision from the government. All are shown with a crestlike ornament made of stiff deer hair on their heads (some with an inserted feather indicating success in battle). Most carry weapons: a stone-headed club, a musket, a musket-stock axe or a spear. Following a bloody defeat by the French in 1730, the Fox united with their kinsmen the Sauk, and made peace with the French in 1740. By the time of Bodmer's visit their territory was largely between Lake Michigan and the upper reaches of the Mississippi river. Their eventual relocation to the plains released the last hold the Indians had on the Northeastern lands.
Karl Bodmer's images show great versatility and technical virtuosity and give us a uniquely accomplished and detailed picture of a previously little understood (and soon to vanish) way of life. Swiss-born Bodmer was engaged by Prince Maximilian zu Wied-Neuwied (1782-1867) specifically to provide a record of his travels in North America, principally among the Plains Indians. In the company of David Dreidoppel (Prince Maximilian's servant and hunting companion), their travels in North America were to last from 1832 to 1834. Well-armed with information and advice, the party finally left St.Louis, on the most important stage of their travels, aboard the steamer Yellow Stone on April 10 1833. They proceeded up the treacherous Missouri River along the line of forts established by the American Fur Company. At Bellevue they encountered their first Indians, then went on to make contact with the Sioux tribe, learning of and recording their little known ceremonial dances and powerful pride and dignity. Transferring from the Yellow Stone to another steamer, the Assinboine, they continued to Fort Clark, visiting there the Mandan, Mintari and Crow tribes, then the Assinboins at Fort Union, the main base of the American Fur Company. On a necessarily much smaller vessel they journeyed through the extraordinary geological scenery of that section of the Missouri to Fort Mackenzie in Montana, establishing a cautious friendship with the fearsome Blackfeet. From this, the westernmost point reached, it was considered too dangerous to continue and the return journey downstream began. The winter brought its own difficulties and discomforts, but Bodmer was still able to execute numerous studies of villages, dances and especially the people, who were often both intrigued and delighted by his work. The portraits are particularly notable for their capturing of individual personalities, as well as forming a primary account of what were to become virtually lost cultures.
Graff 4648; Howes M443a; Pilling 2521; Sabin 47014; Wagner-Camp 76:1.
#4775$3,200.00
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 BODMER, Karl (1809-1893)
Offering of the Mandan Indians [Vig. 14]
[Vig. 14]. Paris, Coblenz and London: 1838. Hand-coloured aquatint engraving by Himely after Bodmer, blindstamp. Plate mark: 9 5/8 x 12 1/2 inches. Sheet size: 12 5/8 x 18 3/8 inches.
Bodmer painted this potent scene of a Mandan skull shrine in November of 1833, shortly before the onset of winter. The shrine was located near the burial ground of Mih-Tutta-Hang-Kusch, and was related to the Mandan beliefs regarding the human body after death and was used as a fasting ground for those seeking supernatural powers. Bodmer and Prince Maximilian overwintered at Fort Clark, between the Knife and Heart Rivers in the territory of the Mandans and the Hidatsas, and made full use of their time to record in detail the life, history and beliefs of the Indian Tribes around them.
Karl Bodmer's images show great versatility and technical virtuosity and give us a uniquely accomplished and detailed picture of a previously little understood (and soon to vanish) way of life. Swiss-born Bodmer was engaged by Prince Maximilian zu Wied-Neuwied (1782-1867) specifically to provide a record of his travels in North America, principally among the Plains Indians. In the company of David Dreidoppel (Prince Maximilian's servant and hunting companion), their travels in North America were to last from 1832 to 1834. Well-armed with information and advice, the party finally left St.Louis, on the most important stage of their travels, aboard the steamer Yellow Stone on April 10 1833. They proceeded up the treacherous Missouri River along the line of forts established by the American Fur Company. At Bellevue they encountered their first Indians, then went on to make contact with the Sioux tribe, learning of and recording their little known ceremonial dances and powerful pride and dignity. Transferring from the Yellow Stone to another steamer, the Assiniboin, they continued to Fort Clark, visiting there the Mandan, Mintari and Crow tribes, then the Assiniboins at Fort Union, the main base of the American Fur Company. On a necessarily much smaller vessel they journeyed through the extraordinary geological scenery of that section of the Missouri to Fort Mackenzie in Montana, establishing a cautious friendship with the fearsome Blackfeet. From this, the westernmost point reached, it was considered too dangerous to continue and the return journey downstream began. The winter brought its own difficulties and discomforts, but Bodmer was still able to execute numerous studies of villages, dances and especially the people, who were often both intrigued and delighted by his work. The portraits are particularly notable for their capturing of individual personalities, as well as forming a primary account of what were to become virtually lost cultures.
Graff 4648; Howes M443a; Pilling 2521; Sabin 47014; Wagner-Camp 76:1.
#4777$2,450.00
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 BODMER, Karl (1809-1893)
A skin lodge of an Assiniboin chief [Vig. 16]
[Vig. 16]. Paris, Coblenz and London: [1839-1842]. Hand-coloured aquatint engraving by Salathé and Hurlimann after Bodmer. Carefully repaired 3/8" tear in left margin, cut to within plate mark. Sheet size: 10 3/8 x 13 1/4 inches.
A fine image containing all the essentials a Plains Indian needed or wanted to sustain life. On June 10th 1833, a camp of about twenty five tipis was set up by a band of Assiniboin near Fort Union, at the junction of the Missouri and Yellowstone rivers. The tipi in the foreground is painted with bear figures: the owner of this tipi was assumed to have strong supernatural powers (an essential for success in battle, or for aid in treating the sick). In front of the tipi the chief's wife loads a travois harnessed to a dog: these elegantly simple constructions consisted of a netted circular platform attached to long poles and were used to transport baggage. A group of three unused travois stand propped to the left of the woman. The chief relaxes against a rolled blanket in the lee of the tipi, shaded from the afternoon sun, bow in hand, watching his wife work. To his left his small son wrestles playfully with one of the other dogs which follow the band. A warrior returns on horse back with news of game or buffalo.
Karl Bodmer's images show great versatility and technical virtuosity and give us a uniquely accomplished and detailed picture of a previously little understood (and soon to vanish) way of life. Swiss-born Bodmer was engaged by Prince Maximilian zu Wied-Neuwied (1782-1867) specifically to provide a record of his travels in North America, principally among the Plains Indians. In the company of David Dreidoppel (Prince Maximilian's servant and hunting companion), their travels in North America were to last from 1832 to 1834. Well-armed with information and advice, the party finally left St.Louis, on the most important stage of their travels, aboard the steamer Yellow Stone on April 10 1833. They proceeded up the treacherous Missouri River along the line of forts established by the American Fur Company. At Bellevue they encountered their first Indians, then went on to make contact with the Sioux tribe, learning of and recording their little known ceremonial dances and powerful pride and dignity. Transferring from the Yellow Stone to another steamer, the Assiniboin, they continued to Fort Clark, visiting there the Mandan, Mintari and Crow tribes, then the Assiniboins at Fort Union, the main base of the American Fur Company. On a necessarily much smaller vessel they journeyed through the extraordinary geological scenery of that section of the Missouri to Fort Mackenzie in Montana, establishing a cautious friendship with the fearsome Blackfeet. From this, the westernmost point reached, it was considered too dangerous to continue and the return journey downstream began. The winter brought its own difficulties and discomforts, but Bodmer was still able to execute numerous studies of villages, dances and especially the people, who were often both intrigued and delighted by his work. The portraits are particularly notable for their capturing of individual personalities, as well as forming a primary account of what was to become virtually lost cultures.
Graff 4648; Howes M443a; Pilling 2521; Sabin 47014; Wagner-Camp 76:1.
#4781$2,750.00
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 BODMER, Karl (1809-1893)
Encampment of the Travellers on the Missouri [Vig. 23]
[Vig. 23]. Paris, Coblenz and London: [1839-1842]. Hand-coloured engraving by Outhwaite after Bodmer, blindstamp. Plate mark: 10 1/2 x 14 inches. Sheet size: 12 3/16 x 17 3/4 i | | | |
