Mandan Dog Sled

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Artist

Karl Bodmer

Birth and death dates

1809 - 1893

Artist Nationality

Swiss

Title

Mandan Dog Sled

Date

February 1834

Dimensions

7 15/16 × 12 1/4 in. (20.2 × 31.1 cm)

Medium

Watercolor on paper

Institution

Joslyn Art Museum

Credit Line

Gift of the Enron Art Foundation

Accession Number

1986.49.387

Rights (i.e. copyright information)

Joslyn Art Museum

Photographer credit

Photograph © Bruce M. White, 2019

Commentary

The sled in this scene appears to be loaded with household goods, including a globular pottery cooking vessel and a shallow wooden dish. Bodmer's signature is dated 1834, and the painting probably depicts a family moving back to the summer village from the winter one in February of that year. Maximilian described and illustrated the manufacture of Mandan sleds in his diary. Two long, flat boards were laced together lengthwise with thongs; four slender crossbars provided stability. The front end was bent upwards and anchored tohe body of the sled with stout leather cords to maintain the curvature. These cords can be seen in Bodmer's detailed rendering. Dogs were the preferred draft animals for sleds. Lighter in weight than horses, they could race over snow or ice without breaking the crust. They also had greater stamina. Maximilian was told that dogs could journey as long as eight days without food and, when fed, could travel thirty miles or more a day without tiring. This same scene appeared as Vignette XXIX in the atlas of aquatints.

References in Journal

December 9, 1833

Labels:

zoological study

Approximate Depicted Location:

Fort Clark, North Dakota