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Albert Bierstadt (American, born Germany, 1830-1902), Dawn at Donner Lake , ca. 1871-1873, oil on paper mounted on canvas, 21 1/4 x 29 in.; 53.98 x 73.66 cm Gift of Mrs. C.N. Dietz, 1934.13 Dawn at Donner Lake dates from Bierstadt's third trip west, when he painted mainly in northern California in the Sierra Nevadas from the summer of 1871 to the fall of 1873. In this work, rocky outcroppings dominate the foreground, with the lake seen in the distance through a veil of morning haze. The discontinuous space from the fore- to background is a further indication of the influence of stereoscopic photography on Bierstadt's compositions. MORE DETAILS

Albert Bierstadt (American, born Germany, 1830–1902), The Trappers, Lake Tahoe , n.d., oil on canvas, 19 ½ x 27 ¾ in.; 49.53 x 70.49 cm Gift of Mrs. Harold Gifford, 1961.430 Bierstadt is better known for his grand landscapes, but he also painted many scenes of Indian and frontier life. Here Bierstadt is taking advantage of the public fascination with the romantic adventure of the short-lived fur trade era. Two shadowy figures launch a small vessel into the unknown perils of a vast lake under an incredible, sun-reddened sky. MORE DETAILS

Albert Bierstadt (American, born Germany, 1830–1902), Valley of the Yosemite , ca. 1864, oil on paper on canvas, 14 x 19 in.; 35.56 x 48.26 cm Gift of Mrs. C.N. Dietz, 1934.14 If there is a single painter whose name is instantly associated with grand Western landscapes, it is Bierstadt. The artist made his first trip West in 1858, and traveled there again in subsequent decades. Reflecting his training at the famed Düsseldorf academy, Bierstadt’s carefully composed romantic paintings are full of details that are faithful to nature but do not necessarily document a particular place. It is the title and not the specific landscape elements that locate this peaceful but impressive scene in the Valley of the Yosemite. MORE DETAILS

Albert Bierstadt (American, born Germany, 1830-1902), Indian on Horseback , ca. 1870-1880, canvas; oil, 3 1/2 x 7 in.; 8.9 x 17.8 cm Gift of Norm W. Waitt, Jr. , 2014.9.2 MORE DETAILS

George Caleb Bingham (American, 1811-1879), Watching the Cargo by Night , 1854, canvas; oil, 24 x 29 in.; 60.9 x 73.6 cm Gift of Foxley & Co., 1997.33       MORE DETAILS

Karl Bodmer (Swiss, 1809–1893), Addíh-Hiddísch, Hidatsa Chief , 1834, watercolor and graphite on paper, 16 9/16 × 11 11/16 in. Gift of the Enron Art Foundation, 1986.49.388. Photograph © Bruce M. White, 2019 MORE DETAILS

Karl Bodmer (Swiss, 1809–1893), Billie, a Choctaw Man , 1833, watercolor and graphite on paper, 8 3/4 x 6 3/8 in. Gift of the Enron Art Foundation, 1986.49.332. Photograph © Bruce M. White, 2019 MORE DETAILS

Karl Bodmer (Swiss, 1809–1893), Chan-Chä-Uiá-Te-Üinn, Lakota Sioux Woman , 1833, watercolor and graphite on paper, 17 1/8 × 11 7/8 in. Gift of the Enron Art Foundation, 1986.49.246. Photograph © Bruce M. White, 2019 MORE DETAILS

Karl Bodmer (Swiss, 1809–1893), Hó-Ta-Mä, Ponca Man , 1833, watercolor and graphite on paper, 10 7/8 x 8 3/4 in. Gift of the Enron Art Foundation, 1986.49.242. Photograph © Bruce M. White, 2019 MORE DETAILS

Karl Bodmer (Swiss, 1809–1893), Mandan Woman , 1834, watercolor and graphite on paper, 12 9/16 × 10 in. Gift of the Enron Art Foundation, 1986.49.276. Photograph © Bruce M. White, 2019 MORE DETAILS

Karl Bodmer (Swiss, 1809–1893), Mató-Tópe, Mandan Chief , 1834, watercolor and graphite on paper, 16 1/2 × 11 11/16 in. Gift of the Enron Art Foundation, 1986.49.383. Photograph © Bruce M. White, 2019 MORE DETAILS

Karl Bodmer (Swiss, 1809–1893), Mexkemáuastan, Gros Ventre Chief , 1833, watercolor and graphite on paper, 16 9/16 × 11 1/4 in. Gift of the Enron Art Foundation, 1986.49.391. Photograph © Bruce M. White, 2019 MORE DETAILS

Karl Bodmer (Swiss, 1809–1893), Noapeh, Assiniboine Man , 1833, watercolor and graphite on paper, 17 1/16 × 11 7/8 in. Gift of the Enron Art Foundation, 1986.49.253. Photograph © Bruce M. White, 2019 MORE DETAILS

Karl Bodmer ( Swiss, 1809–1893), Omaha Boy , 1833, watercolor and graphite on paper, 10 7/8 × 7 7/8 in. Gift of the Enron Art Foundation, 1986.49.372. Photograph © Bruce M. White, 2019 MORE DETAILS

Karl Bodmer (Swiss, 1809–1893), Omaha Man , 1833, watercolor and graphite on paper, 11 7/8 × 8 1/2 in. Gift of the Enron Art Foundation, 1986.49.236. Photograph © Bruce M. White, 2019 MORE DETAILS

Karl Bodmer (Swiss, 1809–1893), Péhriska-Rúhpa, Hidatsa Man , 1833, watercolor and graphite on paper, 15 7/8 × 11 1/2 in. Gift of the Enron Art Foundation, 1986.49.390. Photograph © Bruce M. White, 2019 MORE DETAILS

Karl Bodmer (Swiss, 1809–1893), Piegan Blackfoot Man , 1833, watercolor and graphite on paper, , 12 9/16 x 10 in. Gift of the Enron Art Foundation, 1986.49.290. Photograph © Bruce M. White, 2019 MORE DETAILS

Karl Bodmer (Swiss, 1809–1893), Piegan Blackfoot Woman , 1833, watercolor and graphite on paper, 17 × 12 1/16 in. Gift of the Enron Art Foundation, 1986.49.292 Photograph © Bruce M. White, 2019 MORE DETAILS

Karl Bodmer (Swiss, 1809–1893), Schudegácheh, Ponca Chief , 1833, graphite, charcoal, ink, and watercolor on paper , 11 7/8 × 8 1/2 in. Gift of the Enron Art Foundation, 1986.49.241. Photograph © Bruce M. White, 2019 MORE DETAILS

Karl Bodmer (Swiss, 1809–1893), Tshanny, Choctaw Man , 1833, watercolor and graphite on paper, 8 3/4 x 6 3/8 in. Gift of the Enron Art Foundation, 1986.49.331. Photograph © Bruce M. White, 2019 MORE DETAILS

Karl Bodmer (Swiss, 1809–1893), Tukán-Hätón, Yankton Sioux Chief , 1833, watercolor and graphite on paper, 10 15/16 × 8 3/4 in. Gift of the Enron Art Foundation, 1986.49.259. Photograph © Bruce M. White, 2019 MORE DETAILS

after Karl Bodmer (Swiss, 1809–1893), Johann Hürlimann, engraver (Swiss, 1793–1850), Lucas Weber, engraver (Swiss, 1811–1860), Snags (Sunken Trees) on the Missouri , c. 1841, hand-colored aquatint, 14 1/4 x 17 3/16 in. Gift of the Enron Art Foundation, 1986.49.542.6 MORE DETAILS

after Karl Bodmer (Swiss, 1809–1893), Mehkskeme-Sukahs, Blackfoot-chief, Tatsicki-Stomick, Piekann chief (Tableau 45) , 1839–43, Jean-Alexandre Allais, engraver (French, 1792–1850), hand-colored aquatint, 18 1/8 x 24 11/16 in. Gift of the Enron Art Foundation, 1986.49.517.45 MORE DETAILS

William de la Montagne Cary (American, 1840–1922), Jim Bridger with Sir William Drummond Stewart , 1872, oil on canvas , 14 ¼ x 18 ¼ in.; 36.20 x 46.36 cm Museum purchase with funds provided in part by Michael and Gail Yanney in honor of Dr. James O. Armi, 1999.46 Cary, a New York painter, ventured West in 1861, 1867 and 1874. He painted portraits of Custer and Buffalo Bill Cody from life and published many magazine illustrations based on his frontier travels.  MORE DETAILS

George Catlin (American, 1796–1872), A Prairie Picnic Disturbed by a Rushing Herd of Buffalo , 1854, oil on canvas, 18 ¾ x 26 ½ in.; 47.63 x 67.31 cm Gift of Mr. Carman H. Messmore, 1966.624 This scene is from Catlin's book Letters and Notes of 1841. Catlin depicts himself in a hunter’s cap with his two assistants stopping for a picnic during their journey down the Missouri River. The meal is dramatically interrupted by a buffalo stampede that is headed straight for Catlin. MORE DETAILS

George Catlin (American, 1796–1872), Mandan Chief: Ma-To-Toh-Pah (Four Bears) , 1851, watercolor on board, 16 x 20 ¾ in.; 40.64 x 52.71 cm Gift of W.F. Davidson, 1966.623 Catlin made several trips West between 1830 and 1836, visiting tribes from the Comanche of the Southwest to the Mandan of North Dakota. By 1837 he had produced approximately 470 paintings. Many of these images he duplicated later for interested patrons.  MORE DETAILS

George Catlin (American, 1796-1872), Buffalo Hunt , ca. 1832-35, canvas; oil, 19 x 26 1/2 in.; 48.26 x 67.31 cm Gift of W.F. Davidson, 1966.621 MORE DETAILS

George Catlin (American, 1796-1872), Buffalo Hunt, Uper Missouri , 1854, canvas; oil, 19 x 26 1/2 in.; 48.26 x 67.31 cm Gift of Mr. Carman H. Messmore, 1966.625 MORE DETAILS

Eanger Irving Couse (American, 1866-1936), Hunter in the Aspens (On the War Path) , 1907, oil on canvas, 24 x 29 in.; 60.96 x 73.66 cm Gift of Mrs. C.N. Dietz, 1934.22 MORE DETAILS

Edward S. Curtis (American, 1868-1952), Canon de Chelly—Navaho, (Plate 28), Portfolio 1, Apache, Jicarillas, Navaho, from The North American Indian , 1904, sepia photogravure, 8 x 22 in.; 45.72 x 55.88 cm Given by Mrs. Esther Johnsen on behalf of the Johnsen family in memory of her husband Johnny A. John, 1990.9.B.28 It took Curtis over thirty years to complete his monumental essay in photo-anthropology, The North American Indian. Published in twenty volumes accompanied by twenty portfolios of magnificent photogravure prints, the study touched on virtually every major Western tribe.   MORE DETAILS

Edward S. Curtis (American, 1868–1952), Little Hawk (Plate 89), Portfolio 3, Teton Sioux, Yanktonai, Assinaboin (sic), from The North American Indian , 1908, sepia photogravure, 22 x 18 in.; 55.88 x 45.72 cm Gift of Esther Johnsen on behalf of the Johnsen family in memory of her husband, Johnny A. Johnsen, 1990.11.B.14 Curtis took over forty thousand photographs of Indian subjects, from house types to ritual dances. He was particularly adept at portraits. Here he uses the effects of light and shadow, sharp and blurred focus, and an upward-looking angle of view to convey great nobility and strength of character. The picture seems very personal, although Curtis captioned it by saying, “This portrait exhibits the typical Brulé [Lakota Sioux] physiognomy.” Portrait and caption together reflect the artistic and anthropological goals of Curtis’ Native American project. MORE DETAILS

Seth Eastman (American, 1808-1875), Sioux Indians , 1850, canvas; oil, 32 7/8 x 44 7/8 in; 83.5 x 114 cm Purchased from the Old Print Shop, 1946.27 MORE DETAILS

Thomas Hill (American, 1829–1908), Sierra Nevadas , 1879, oil on canvas, 18 x 30 in.; 45.72 x 76.2 cm Gift of E. A. Kingman, 1956.333 The premier landscape artist in nineteenth-century California, Hill did not move permanently to his adopted state until he was in his forties. For three decades thereafter he painted majestic vistas of the Sierras and the Pacific coast. He maintained a cabin in the mountains and traveled widely, directly experiencing the scenic grandeur he depicted, although — like Bierstadt, Moran, and other Western artists of the period — it was more likely Hill’s intent to interpret nature, not to replicate it. MORE DETAILS

Frank Tenney Johnson (American, 1874–1939), Night in Old Wyoming , 1935, oil on board, 17 ½ x 13 ½ in.; 44.45 x 34.29 cm Given in memory of Dr. and Mrs. Arthur C. Langmuir and Mr. and Mrs. J.W.B. Van de Water by their fam, 1964.762 Johnson was personally familiar with the world of the cowboy, but he also didn’t hesitate to construct scenes from his imagination. He once said, somewhat paradoxically, that “It has been my ambitious desire to record…with fidelity those events and picturesque phases of life which have given us our romantic western background.”  MORE DETAILS

William Robinson Leigh (American, 1866–1955), A Double Crosser , 1946, oil on canvas, 8 1/8 x 22 in.; 71.44 x 55.88 cm Museum purchase, 1955.164 Speaking of an 1897 trip to North Dakota, Leigh exclaimed: “I…had my first taste of the West, and was really inspired by it.” By 1906 the artist had decided to devote all his energies to Western scenes. Leigh was a highly trained painter and a skilled draftsman who produced scores of nostalgic images of cowboys and Indians throughout his long career. If his sun-drenched subjects are sometimes too charming, or even approach caricature, like this 1946 image, they are always presented with sympathetic warmth. MORE DETAILS

William Robinson Leigh (American, 1866–1955), Gathering Water , 1914, oil on canvas board, Gift of Norman W. Waitt, Jr.,, 2010.1 With transportation provided by the Santa Fe Railroad in exchange for commissioned paintings, Leigh made periodic trips west beginning in 1906 to search for new subject matter. Among his favorite western subjects were the Hopi Indians of northeastern Arizona. In this oil sketch, Leigh depicts a Hopi maiden collecting water from a rock cistern, likely at Walpi, the ancient village on First Mesa. MORE DETAILS

Alfred Jacob Miller (American, 1810–1874), Portrait of Captain Joseph Reddeford Walker , n.d., oil on canvas, 24 x 20 in.; 60.96 x 50.8 cm Museum purchase, 1963.610 The accomplishments of Joseph Walker (1798–1876) rank with those of Kit Carson and Jim Bridger, although Walker is not nearly as famous. He surveyed the Santa Fe Trail, he was the first white man to see Yosemite, and he led the first wagon train into California. Miller’s portrait shows Walker clad in frontier clothes but carrying a pocket watch. Walker’s handsome features are finely drawn, and his clear blue eyes gaze directly and confidently at the viewer. MORE DETAILS

Alfred Jacob Miller (American, 1810–1874), The Surround , n.d., oil on canvas, 66 x 94 ½ in.; 167.64 x 240.03 cm Museum purchase, 1963.611 In 1837 William Drummond Stewart (Scottish, 1795–1871) asked Miller to accompany him to the Rocky Mountains and record their adventures at the annual fur trading fair known as the rendezvous. Miller made his pictures in the field with pencil, ink, and watercolors. In his Baltimore studio, he translated many of these into oil paintings for Stewart and, later, for other patrons fascinated by the West. MORE DETAILS

Alfred Jacob Miller (American, 1810–1874), The Trapper’s Bride , 1850, oil on canvas, 30 x 25 inches, 76.2 x 63.5 cm Museum purchase, 1963.612 Baltimore artist Alfred Jacob Miller was working in New Orleans, when he was hired by William Drummond Stewart in 1837 to traveled with an expedition to the Rocky Mountains and the annual gathering of the fur trade. Miller spent six months in the West, and his experiences supplied the raw material for his art for the rest of his career. Miller painted nine versions of this scene. While historians might view the depicted union as an alliance — and Miller may imply that in the tenderly clasped hands — a contemporary American Indian might see inevitable personal and cultural diminishment in this exchange. MORE DETAILS

Alfred Jacob Miller (American, 1810-1874), In the Rocky Mountains , ca. 1838, canvas; oil, 14 3/8 x 20 in.; 36.51 x 50.8 cm Purchased from M. Knoedler & Co, Inc., 1963.615 MORE DETAILS

Alfred Jacob Miller (American, 1810-1874), Indian Camp, Nebraska Territory , ca. 1838, canvas; oil, 9 1/8 x 13 5/8 in.; 23.2 x 34.6 cm Purhcased from M. Knoedler & Co., Inc., 1954.58 MORE DETAILS

Alfred Jacob Miller (American, 1810-1874), Indians Watering Horses  , ca. 1838, canvas; oil, 10 x 12 in.; 25.4 x 30.48 cm Purchased from M. Knoedler & Co., Inc., 1963.614 MORE DETAILS

Alfred Jacob Miller (American, 1810-1874), Setting Traps for Beaver , n.d., paper; pencil; ink; watercolor; gouache, 7 7/8 x 10 1/4 in.; 20 x 26 cm Museum Purchase, 1988.10.9 MORE DETAILS

Alfred Jacob Miller (American, 1810-1874), Lake, Wind River Mountains , n.d., paper; watercolor, 9 1/8 x 12 1/8 in.; 13.1 x 30.8 cm Museum Purchase, 1988.10.16 MORE DETAILS

Alfred Jacob Miller (American, 1810-1874), Indian Mourning Over a Grave, Marked by a Buffalo Skull , n.d., paper; sepia ink; pencil, 5 x 3 7/8 in.; 12.7 x 9.8 cm Museum Purchase, 1988.10.36 MORE DETAILS

Alfred Jacob Miller (American, 1810-1874), Trappers , n.d., paper; watercolor, 4 1/4 x 4 1/2 in.; 10.8 x 11.4 cm Museum Purchase, 1988.10.37 MORE DETAILS

Alfred Jacob Miller (American, 1810-1874), Lassoing Wild Horses , n.d., paper; watercolor; pencil, 8 1.8 x 10 3/8 in.; 20.6 x 26.4 cm Museum Purchase, 1988.10.77 MORE DETAILS

Thomas Moran (American (born England), 1837-1926), The Grand Canyon of the Colorado , 1913, oil on canvas, 25 x 30 in.; 63.5 x 76.2 cm Gift of Mrs. C. N. Dietz, 1934.10 Moran, perhaps more than any other painter of his time, was responsible for making Americans aware of their great natural heritage. The enthusiastic response to his pictures of the West, particularly of the Yellowstone and Grand Teton region, were influential in Congress's decision to establish the National Park System in 1872. Moran accompanied an 1871 government expedition to the Yellowstone, and his superb watercolors of its spectacular geological formations helped persuade Congress to establish the area as the first national park in 1872. MORE DETAILS

Thomas Moran (American, 1837-1926), The Mountain of the Holy Cross , ca. 1876, chromolithograph, 13 5/8 x 9 5/8 in.; 34.61.24.45 cm Gift of Gail and Michael Yanney and Lisa and Bill Roskens, 2001.40.10 MORE DETAILS

Thomas Moran (American, 1837-1926), Yellowstone Lake , ca. 1876, chromolithograph, 11 1/2 x 16 3/16 in.; 29.21 x 41.12 cm Gift of Gail and Michael Yanney and Lisa and Bill Roskens, 2001.40.5 MORE DETAILS

William Tylee Ranney (American, 1813–1857), Halt on the Prairie , ca. 1850, oil on paper on board, 8 ½ x 14 ½ in.; 21.59 x 36.83 cm Bequest of Mrs. John F. Merriam, Ranney's images quietly celebrate the frontier spirit, with little of the sentimentality that characterized many other popular portrayals of the time. Halt on the Prairie appears to be a sketch or study for a larger work (either never completed or now lost). Perhaps Ranney was inspired by published accounts of Oregon Trail migrants — estimated as high as 5,000 settlers in 1847 alone.   MORE DETAILS

Frederic Sackrider Remington (American, 1861–1909), Bronco Buster , 1895, bronze, height: 24½, 62.23 cm Bequest of N.P. Dodge, 1954.303 Remington’s name is associated with the “Old West” more than that of any other artist. Although he did make several Western visits (including an unsuccessful ranching venture in 1883), Remington lived most of his life in New York, producing nearly 3,000 paintings, drawings, and sculptures, mostly of Western subjects. A highly successful illustrator, his images appeared in forty-one different periodicals and 142 books. Bronco Buster was Remington’s first sculpture. Bronze was a new medium for him in 1895, making the phenomenal balance and action of the piece seem even more amazing. MORE DETAILS

Frederic Sackrider Remington (American, 1861–1909), Canadian Northwest Mounted Police , n.d., tempera on wood, 18 ¼ x 8 5/8 in.; 46.36 x 21.91 cm Gift of Mrs. C.N. Dietz, 1934.63 MORE DETAILS

Henry Ritter (German, 1816-1853), The Prairie Fire , 1851, canvas; oil, 24 x 33 in.; 61 x 83.8 cm Museum purchase with funds from the Ethel S. Abbott Art Endowment Fund, the Jack Drew Endowment for , 2014.1 MORE DETAILS

Charles Marion Russell (American, 1864–1926), A Serious Predicament , 1908, oil on canvas, 20 x 30 in.; 50.8 x 76.2 cm Gift of Foxley & Co, 2000.27 Charlie Russell worked as a cowboy in his youth and lived in Montana most of his life. He took pride in the accuracy of his ranch scenes, which are typically full of action and adventure. Russell’s titles usually reveal the stories that his images are intended to tell. The alternate title for this painting, Range Mother, further spells out the “serious predicament” in which the charging cow has placed the anxious cowboys. MORE DETAILS

Charles Marion Russell (American, 1864–1926), Buffalo Hunt , 1902, watercolor on paper, 21 x 14 in.; 53.34 x 35.56 cm Gift of Barbara J. Birmingham, 2009.56 MORE DETAILS

Worthington Whittredge (American, 1820–1910), Long’s Peak, Colorado , 1866, oil on paper on canvas, 8 ¼ x 21 ½ in.; 20.96 x 54.61 cm Museum purchase, 1965.58 Whittredge was one of the later Hudson River School landscape artists, whom he defined as painters of “more homely [than grandiose] scenery.” Whittredge made his field sketches, like Long’s Peak, on the spot, often on sheets of paper torn in half to give them the same horizontality as the plains. MORE DETAILS

Carl Ferdinand Wimar (American, born Germany, 1828–1862), Indians Stealing Horses , 1854, oil on canvas, 6 1/8 x 20 in.; 40.96 x 50.8 cm Museum purchase, 1951.80 Most of Wimar’s career was devoted to the depiction of American Indians. Based in St. Louis, he traveled up the Missouri River in the 1850s, when the region was still a frontier. In his paintings the artist combined elements of his personal observation of Indian and frontier life with popular ideas about those subjects, and then filtered them through the conventions of his German academic training — they are both fact and fiction. MORE DETAILS

N. C. Wyeth (American, 1882–1945), Illustration for Fisk Cord Tires , 1919, oil on canvas on panel, 32 x 71 ½ in.; 81.28 x 181.61 cm Museum purchase with funds from Collectors’ Choice VI, 1995, and the Major Art Purchase Fund, 1995.2 This Wyeth painting, a model for a 1919 advertisement for Fisk Cord Tires, makes comic visual reference to the common notion that Indians, no matter how noble or quaint, were doomed to be left in the dust of modern technology. MORE DETAILS