The Art of Karl Bodmer

This is a collection of color prints based on the work of Karl Bodmer (1809-1893), a Swiss artist who traveled through the American interior from 1832 to1834. These prints rank with the finest Western art in any medium. The 1837-38 smallpox epidemic that killed more than half the Blackfeet and almost all the Mandan makes Bodmer's work the primary account of what became lost cultures. Each print is based on a Bodmer original pencil or watercolor sketch, which was then refined and prepared for publication as an aquatint engraving. The popularity of Bodmer’s work and the absence of copyright protection ensured that the prints were repeatedly pirated and re-published. Thus, there is no way to say for certain when or from where these prints originated. See Karl Bodmer's North American Prints for further reading. Available from Yakima Valley Libraries.