Karl Bodmer

Karl Bodmer (1809–1893) was a Swiss-French artist born in Zurich. While training as a printmaker in the German city of Koblenz, not far from Neuwied, Bodmer was introduced to Prince Maximilian zu Wied, who invited him to partake in a journey through North America from July 1832 to August 1834. During the trip, Bodmer sketched and painted landscapes, wildlife, and the people they encountered along the route. Bodmer’s striking portraits of individuals from over twenty Indigenous nations continue to be of special importance for Indigenous people and international audiences. 

Upon returning to Europe, Bodmer supervised the creation of eighty-one prints based on his fieldwork, which were used to illustrate Maximilian’s travel account, Reise in das innere Nord-America (1839-41). Financial difficulties later led Bodmer to relocate to Barbizon, France where he focused on landscape painting and printmaking. Awarded the Legion of Honor, France’s highest order of merit, he became a naturalized French citizen toward the end of his life. Though Bodmer frequently displayed works at the Paris Salon, the main annual exhibition in the country, his artistic talents never earned him widespread recognition. He died in poverty on October 30, 1893, and his estate was auctioned off the following year.