The Natural Face of North America

The Maximilian-Bodmer Expedition 1832-1834

The Natural Face of North America

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Artifacts

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Artist

Karl Bodmer

Birth and death dates

1809 - 1893

Artist Nationality

Swiss

Title

Artifacts

Dimensions

16 1/2 × 10 5/8 in. (41.9 × 27 cm)

Medium

Watercolor and ink on paper

Institution

Joslyn Art Museum

Credit Line

Gift of the Enron Art Foundation

Accession Number

1986.49.314

Rights (i.e. copyright information)

Joslyn Art Museum

Photographer credit

Photograph © Bruce M. White, 2019

Commentary

1-3. Moccasins. Number 1: Sioux. Number 2: Possibly Iroquois. See this image for additional views. Reproduced in Tableau 48 of the published aquatint atlas. 4- 5. Stone knives. Number 4: found at a site near New Harmony, Indiana. Number 5: Mexican, shown for comparison. See image for additional views. Reproduced in Tableau 48 of the atlas. 6. Knife and knife sheath. Reproduced in Tableau 21. Sheath now in the Linden-Museum collection. 7. Ball, Mandan or Hidatsa. Quilled. See Image 1986.49.220.B for a sketch and description of the women's game played with such balls. Reproduced in Tableau 48. 8. Skin pouch. Ermine. Reproduced in Tableau 21 . 9. Rawhide storage container (parfleche). Painted. Maximilian refers to this parfleche as illustrative of Sioux hide pouches, but its design is more typically Cheyenne, suggesting that the piece was a trade item. Reproduced in Tableau 48. Now in the Museum für Völkerkunde collection. 10- 11 . War whistles, Mandan. Bird bone whistles were common among Plains tribes and appear in several of Bodmer's portraits. See Image 1986.49.249 for an example. Number 10 was reproduced in Tableau 21. It is now in the Linden-Museum collection, attributed to the Mandan chief Mató-Tópe. Number 11, which was reproduced in Tableau 48, may be the double goose bone whistle that was part of the insignia of the Mandan Crow-Raven Society. 12. Pipe tamper, Assiniboin. Decorated with porcupine and bird quills. Tassel probably made of horsehair. Used to clean and tamp pipes and also worn in the hair as an ornament. Reproduced in Tableau 48.

Labels:

study

Approximate Depicted Location:

Europe

The Natural Face of North America

  • About
  • About the Project
  • The Maximilian-Bodmer Expedition
  • Project Team
  • Rights and Reproductions
  • Contact Us
  • Journals
  • About Prince Maximilian
  • Journal Locations
  • Artwork
  • Explore the Gallery
  • About Karl Bodmer
  • Artwork Locations
  • Resources
  • Lesson Plans
  • Scholarly Essays
  • Indigenous Languages
  • Multimedia
  • Recommended Reading
  • Downloads
  • Expedition Timeline

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