Herd of Bisons (Tab. 40)

BODMER, Karl

Published by A. Bertrand and Colbenz, J Holscher; London: Ackermann & Co.

About this Item

Herd of Bisons (Tab. 40) from "Travels in the Interior of North America" [Paris: A. Bertrand and Colbenz, J Holscher; London: Ackermann & Co., 1839-1843] Aquatint engraving with original hand-coloring. Sheet size: 17 7/8 x 24 1/2 inches. Good condition. Overall toning of paper, spotting throughout, wide plate margins. Gum arabic still visible, rich color, "C. Bodmer" blind stamp at lower center plate margin. Karl Bodmer was a little-known Swiss painter when he was chosen by Prince Maximilian of Prussia to accompany his voyage to America, in order to document in pictorial terms the expedition. With the rest of Maximilian's company, the two traveled among the Plains and Rockies from 1832 to 1834, a time when the area was still virtually unknown. They arrived in the West before acculturation had begun to change the lives of the Indians, and Bodmer, who was a protegé of the great naturalist von Humboldt, brought a trained ethnologist s eye to the task. The Bodmer/Maximilian collaboration produced a record of their expedition that is considered one of the finest and most complete documentations of the Plains Indians before the epidemics of the mid-19th century had decimated their numbers, and before European expansion had taken their lands. After the conclusion of the journey, Bodmer spent four years in Paris supervising the production of the aquatints made from his drawings. In contrast to other artist-explorers of the 19th century, such as George Catlin, Bodmer was well-trained in the classic European tradition. The work that he did in America is considered to be the high point of a distinguished career.

Seller Inventory # BOD00072

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Herd of Bisons (Tab. 40)
• Publisher: A. Bertrand and Colbenz, J Holscher; London: Ackermann & Co.
• Binding: No Binding
• Condition: Good
• Seller catalogs:
  • Americana
  • Prints
  • Native Americans