BISMARCK, N.D. — A recent donation has enabled a North Dakota organization to acquire more than 25 historic aquatint prints that showcase Native American culture along the Upper Missouri River from nearly 200 years ago, making them more accessible to the public.
On Wednesday, the State Historical Society of North Dakota unveiled four of these aquatints, which are reproductions from 1839 to 1843 inspired by the works of Swiss artist Karl Bodmer. Bodmer created these illustrations during his expedition with Prince Maximilian of Wied-Neuwied across the United States, reaching as far as present-day Montana between 1832 and 1834.
Currently, the Historical Society is evaluating the prints, which have been kept at a San Francisco art gallery for some time, and is formulating a plan for future exhibition. Kara Haff, a spokeswoman for the organization, emphasized the value of these prints, noting their vivid colors compared to the more common historic black and white imagery.
“The opportunity to witness the artwork’s richness and vibrant colors is not something we encounter often,” stated Bill Peterson, the director of the Historical Society.
These aquatints are believed to derive from Bodmer’s original collection. According to gallery owner David Borlaug, aquatints served as a popular illustration technique during Bodmer’s time, often used for books. He explained the process: “An original painting would be transferred to a metal plate by an engraver, a skilled process in itself, and then prints would be created, typically using just one or two colors. Subsequently, artists would hand-tint each image, adding colors individually.”
The artworks portray various scenes and figures, including Fort Union, a Mandan village, and members such as an Arikara warrior and Mandan chief Mato Tope (also known as Four Bears). Other depicted elements include a Sioux chief’s funeral scaffold, Mandan dog sledges, bison hunting scenes, scalp dances, and travelers along the Missouri River.
While these images are reproduced in textbooks and other formats, Haff noted that having original prints from the initial publishing is a rarity. Bodmer’s artworks were originally created for Maximilian’s book titled “Travels in the Interior of North America.”
Borlaug mentioned that Bodmer utilized ink, pencil, and watercolor to create his sketches and that these prints represent an aesthetic facet of American Western history. However, Dakota Goodhouse, a Native American historian and member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, cautioned that some of Bodmer’s portrayals can create misconceptions about the everyday experiences of Native American peoples, as they often depict posed scenes.
“When Four Bears posed for Bodmer’s portrait, he wasn’t dressed that way in his daily life,” Goodhouse explained.
Goodhouse proposed that a portion of sales from Bodmer’s prints could support contemporary Native American initiatives aimed at enhancing education, health, and housing.
A few years following Bodmer’s expedition, a catastrophic smallpox epidemic in 1837 severely impacted the tribes depicted in his works. Amy Mossett, an education administrator for the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation and a member of the State Historical Board, shared that many families perished, and significant cultural artifacts were lost during this period.
“For me, looking at these prints preserves the essence of our culture when it was vibrant and thriving,” remarked Mossett, a member of the MHA Nation.
She expressed a sense of destiny regarding the return of the artworks to their region of origin. “Considering the cyclical nature of life, there’s a purpose to their return, and it feels like this is where they truly belong,” Mossett said.
The State Historical Society is currently investigating the provenance of these valuable artworks. Sam McQuade Jr., an enthusiast of North Dakota history, donated $150,000 to the State Historical Society of North Dakota Foundation, facilitating the acquisition of these prints through collaboration with Masters Gallery, which subsequently donated them to the State Historical Society for inclusion in its permanent collection.
