Piegan Blackfeet Man

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Artist

Karl Bodmer

Birth and death dates

1809 - 1893

Artist Nationality

Swiss

Title

Piegan Blackfoot Man

Date

August 31, 1833

Dimensions

12 9/16 × 10 in. (31.9 × 25.4 cm)

Medium

Watercolor and graphite on paper

Institution

Joslyn Art Museum

Credit Line

Gift of the Enron Art Foundation

Accession Number

1986.49.290

Rights (i.e. copyright information)

Joslyn Art Museum

Photographer credit

Photograph © Bruce M. White, 2019

Commentary

Plains warriors frequently wore shirts or robes painted with symbols of their war exploits, such as wounds received or given or numbers of captured enemies and weaponry. The figures on the elk hide worn by this unidentified Piegan man suggest that he had been very successful in battle. Blood flows copiously from wounded adversaries. Dozens of horseshoes represent animals stolen, along with numerous bows, guns, and war hatchets. In addition to the robe, the man wears his rifle sheath wrapped turban-style around his head. He carries a ramrod and a long-stemmed pipe with a bowl of typical Blackfeet shape. sketched at Fort McKenzie on August 31, this was one of several figures later incorporated into Tableau 43, a vivid depiction of a Blackfeet camp outside the fort.

References in Journal

August 31, 1833

Labels:

genre, portrait

Approximate Depicted Location:

Fort McKenzie, Montana