Native Americans: A Portrait: The Art and Travels of Charles Bird King, George Catlin, and Karl Bodmer (1997)

The work of Charles Bird King, George Catlin, and Karl Bodmer looms large in the field of history, ethnology, and anthropology. No serious study of American Indian people can be undertaken without reference to it, and yet the names of these three men are largely unknown to the general public. Although King, Catlin, and Bodmer worked independently of one another, they were united in a singular vision: all were dedicated to preserving the various cultures of American Indian people through their artwork and writings. Native Americans: A Portrait presents for the first time in one volume a major selection of the original drawings, paintings, and lithographs by these three artists. More than 300 striking full-color reproductions take the reader to the American frontier to experience Indians in their original environment - performing religious ceremonies, hunting buffalo, engaging in bloody battles, and simply living their lives. Also included are dozens of magnificent portraits of the most prominent Indian leaders of the day. The accompanying text by noted scholar Robert J. Moore, Jr., describes the powerful political currents of the 1830s that led to the forced removal of the Indian tribes, while original quotes from the artists themselves offer invaluable insights into nineteenth-century white American culture.… (more)