Charles Marion Russell Mixed Media, ca. 1915
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GUEST:
It hung on the back of my father's bedroom door. He had an aunt who in the early '20s went out to Wyoming, a single woman, and she traveled out there and met Russell, and he gave her this page from his sketchbook.
APPRAISER:
Oh.
GUEST:
And she brought it back to New York, where my father grew up...
APPRAISER:
Uh-huh.
GUEST:
...and gave it to my father, who was probably a toddler at the time.
APPRAISER:
Yes.
GUEST:
And it was put on the back of his bedroom door, and stayed there until my grandparents died in the early '80s.
APPRAISER:
Oh, and that's how you got it?
GUEST:
That's how I got it, yeah.
APPRAISER:
Oh, okay. Well, it's Charles Marion Russell, is the artist. He's born in Missouri in 1864, and he died in Montana in 1926. He's actually signed it "C.M. Russell" down here. And next to his signature is a little sketch of a skeleton head of a steer, and, uh, that was frequently the way he signed. He was known as a painter and a sculptor of, uh, old Western scenes involving cowboys and Indigenous people. And it's believed that he's done as many as 4,000 works of art total...
GUEST; Wow.
APPRAISER:
...in his complete, uh, tenure as an artist. This particular work is a mixed media. It's watercolor, color pencil, and ink. I would date this piece probably circa 1915 or even 1920. There's no real way of knowing exactly who this person is, but it wasn't really probably meant to be any person in particular. It was just, ju, a generic figure...
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
...of a Native American. The figuration of it is typical, the way he drew the Native American. And you see that little drawing down there, as well...
GUEST:
Yeah.
APPRAISER:
where they're, he's actually dancing and so forth...
GUEST:
Yeah.
APPRAISER:
...with the, the feathers and all the rest.
GUEST:
Yeah.
APPRAISER:
But it's unusual in the sense you've got all this written part in here. You said it came out of his sketchbook, so...
GUEST:
Yeah.
APPRAISER:
He's basically lamenting the treatment of Native Americans and criticizing the government for a lack of respect...
GUEST:
Yeah.
APPRAISER:
...for their culture and so forth.
GUEST:
Mm.
APPRAISER:
So I was just wondering if you would help uh us out by maybe just reading the second paragraph down there.
GUEST:
Sure. "Uncle Sam lets him play injun once a year, and he dances under the flag that made a farmer out of him. Once nature gave him everything he wanted. Now Uncle Sam's agent gives him bib overalls, hooks his hands around plow handles, and tells him, 'It's a good thing. Push it along.' Maybe it is, but they're having a hell of a time proving it."
APPRAISER:
So he uses the term "injun," which is, without a doubt, highly offensive. But I think what he's doing is describing the attitude of the government...
GUEST:
Mm.
APPRAISER:
...and his displeasure with their disrespect for their culture. The piece is over 100 years old, for sure, and it shows it. I would say that this piece is probably worth between $80,000 and $100,000 at auction.
GUEST:
Wow.
APPRAISER:
Mm.
GUEST (chuckling): I am truly surprised.
APPRAISER:
Yeah.
GUEST:
Wow. That's incredible.
APPRAISER:
It's a very, very special...
GUEST:
Wow.
APPRAISER:
Very special piece.
GUEST:
Awesome, thank you.
APPRAISER:
And, uh, we're really grateful for you bringing it, it in.
GUEST:
Yeah, thank you. That's so exciting.
(both laugh)
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