Mouth of the Platte River

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Artist

Karl Bodmer

Birth and death dates

1809 - 1893

Artist Nationality

Swiss

Title

Mouth of the Platte River

Date

May 3, 1833

Dimensions

10 5/8 × 16 3/4 in. (27 × 42.5 cm)

Medium

Watercolor and graphite on paper

Institution

Joslyn Art Museum

Credit Line

Gift of the Enron Art Foundation

Accession Number

1986.49.146

Rights (i.e. copyright information)

Joslyn Art Museum

Photographer credit

Photograph © Bruce M. White, 2019

Commentary

The Yellow Stone passed the mouth of the Platte on the morning of May 3. In his journal entry for the day, Maximilian indicated that the Platte had two mouths and that the first was "separated from the second and larger mouth by a small island." Bodmer's view of the river mouth probably represents the larger of the two channels opening into the Missouri. This afternoon, the travelers reached Bellevue, Major Dougherty's post on the river below present-day Omaha, Nebraska.

References in Journal

May 3, 1833

Labels:

genre, riverscape , Missouri River , Platte River

Approximate Depicted Location:

Mouth of Platte River, Nebraska