Artist:

Albert Bierstadt, born Solingen, Germany 1830-died New York City 1902  Search this

Medium:

oil on paper on canvas

Dimensions:

15 7/8 x 21 7/8 in. (40.4 x 55.5 cm.)

Type:

Painting

Date:

ca. 1872

Luce Center Label:

Albert Bierstadt spent two years in California in the early 1870s, sketching the landscape of Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. He was fascinated by the Native Americans he encountered on his journeys and made many sketches of their dwellings, dress, and weapons, including this painting of a group of Indian leaders. He felt that the Native American way of life was “rapidly passing away,” and that it was his duty “to tell his portion of their history.” (Letter from the artist, July 10, 1859, The Crayon, quoted in Anderson and Ferber, Albert Bierstadt: Art and Enterprise, 1990)

Topic:

Figure group  Search this

Landscape\California  Search this

Indian  Search this

Ceremony\Indian\council  Search this

Architecture Exterior\domestic\teepee  Search this

Credit Line:

Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Marvin J. and Shirley F. Sonosky in memory of Harryette Cohn

Object number:

1998.148

Restrictions & Rights:

CC0

See more items in:

Smithsonian American Art Museum Collection

Department:

Painting and Sculpture

Data Source:

Smithsonian American Art Museum

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/vk73a89074a-29d9-4c4c-a417-97c72fa7c623

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:saam_1998.148