MISSOURI ART,ARTISTS, And ARTIFACTS

A Fourth Grade Social Studies Curricular Tour

A Docent Guide to Selected Works from

The Museum of Art and Archaeology University of Missouri-Columbia

*Not all images are on display in the Museum*

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Museum of Art and Archaeology

University of Missouri-Columbia 1 Pickard Hall

Columbia, MO 65211

Phone: 573-882-3591 Fax: 573-884-4039

Website http:/maa.missouri.edu/

Museum Hours Tuesday – Friday: 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Saturday – Sunday: Noon – 4 p.m.

Closed Mondays, University of Missouri-Columbia Holidays, and

Christmas Day through New Year’s Day

Admission is FREE and open to the public. The Museum is ADA accessible.

The Museum is a member of AAM – American Association of Museums.

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MISSOURI ART, ARTISTS, & ARTIFACTS

A Fourth Grade Social Studies Curricular Tour

Works from the Museum’s permanent collection along with items and works from relevant exhibitions have been organized into a resource book for a Docent tour focusing on Missouri Grade-Level Expectations for Fourth Grade Social Studies. What’s included in this guide? This guide includes images of the relevant art works for this tour. Teaching information includes detailed descriptions of the objects, background about their historical context, and discussions of their iconography (symbolic importance), as well as questions designed to encourage students to look more closely at the work of art and to share their responses. Tour Overview Students step back in time when they walk through the doors of the Museum of Art and Archaeology to take part in the Fourth Grade Curricular Tour. Students will be transported back to the world of Thomas Jefferson, the Lewis and Clark expedition, the Missouri frontier, and the ordeal of the Civil War in Missouri. While we don’t expect students to live in the past, we do want the past to live in our students. Statement of Purpose The purpose of the Fourth Grade Social Studies Curricular Tour is to help students analyze visual art as an artifact of Missouri life and history. Through careful observation, listening, and conversation, students will develop critical thinking skills, share observations, collaborate on multiple solutions to open-ended questions, and practice respectful sharing of differing opinions. As a result of this tour the students will be able to:

1. Identify works of art by famous Missouri artists 2. Identify works of art depicting famous Missourians 3. View genre paintings as historical resource material 4. Compare and contrast various landscapes, portraits, and artifacts.

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Tour format Fourth Grade students from Missouri schools will visit the Museum of Art and Archaeology for a 30-45 minute tour. Tour stops include the Museum lobby entrance, European and American Art Gallery, and the Barton Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art. They may also visit the Museum of Anthropology on campus. Grade-Level Expectations The Fourth Grade Social Studies Curricular Tour supports the Missouri Grade-Level Expectations by introducing and/or enhancing themes relevant to the Social Studies curriculum. Various grade-level expectations will be addressed through interaction with original works of art on display or possibly works pulled from storage. Key concepts have been highlighted below to demonstrate specific ways in which grade-level expectations for Fourth Grade Social Studies may be incorporated in a docent-led tour. Principles of Constitutional Democracy 1. Knowledge of the principles expressed in documents shaping constitutional democracy in the United States, such as the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution Missouri, United States and World History 2a. Knowledge of continuity and change in the history of Missouri, the United States and the world

A. (1) Knowledge of the ways Missourians have interacted, survived and progressed from the distant past to present times

* Identify and describe the significance of the individuals from Missouri who have made contributions to our state and national heritage; examples include Lewis and Clark, Mary Easton Sibley, John Berry Meacham, George Washington Carver, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Mark Twain, Harry S. Truman, and Thomas Hart Benton * Locate and describe settlements in Missouri of people of European and

African heritage * Summarize the events in westward expansion, including people’s

motivation, their hardships and Missouri as a jumping-off point to the West

B. (2) Knowledge of the contributions to Missouri history of non-Missourians

* Evaluate the impact of westward expansion on Native Americans in Missouri

* Describe the contributions of Thomas Jefferson

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* Sequence and describe the importance of: (A) Louisiana Purchase, (B) Lewis and Clark Expedition; (C) University of Missouri

Elements of Geographical Study and Analysis 5. Knowledge of major elements of geographical study and analysis (such as location, place, movement and regions) and their relationship to changes in society and the environment A. (1) Reading and constructing maps B. (2) Geography of Missouri and the United States: Location C. (3) Geography of Missouri and the United States: Place D. (4) Relationships within places

G. (7) Uses of geography to interpret, explain and predict * Use geography to interpret the past (e.g., why rivers have played an

important role in human transportation) and predict future consequences (e.g., what will likely happen if the population of a city increases considerably)

Tools of Social Science Inquiry 7. Knowledge of the use of tools of social science inquiry (such as surveys, statistics, maps and documents)

A. (1) Identify, select, use and create appropriate resources for social science inquiry

* Identify, select and use visual, graphic and auditory aids * Use and evaluate primary and secondary sources (diaries, letters,

people, interviews, journals and photos) * Identify and use library and media resources (electronic resources,

dictionaries, encyclopedias, videos, periodicals, atlases, almanacs, telephone directories, books, and cartoons)

* Identify and create artifacts (building structures and materials, works of art representative of cultures, fossils, pottery, tools, clothing, musical instruments)

B. (2) Create maps, timelines, diagrams and cartoons * Create maps, timelines, diagrams and cartoons to enhance studies in

civics, history, economics and geography

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Suggested Activities Use the following questions to encourage student discussion about museums:

1) Have you been to a museum before? 2) If so, when and where? 3) What do you remember about it? 4) Why would someone want to visit a museum? 5) What do you think museums are for? 6) What kinds of jobs do people do at a museum? 7) What do you expect to see and do at a museum? 8) Would you ever go to a museum on your own? Why or why not? 9) What would make you want to go to a museum? 10) If you were taking a younger relative to the museum, what Museum

Manners would you review with this person before going? WORD WALL Introduce and discuss vocabulary associated with the 4th Grade Social Studies Curricular Tour. If possible, have each student “claim” a word as their own. Write the words on index cards in large, legible print. On the back, have them write in the word’s definition.

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K-W-L What do you KNOW about museums (or the tour theme)?

What do you WANT to know about museums (or the tour theme)?

What have you LEARNED about museums (or the tour theme)?

I-Spy Test To appreciate art, you need to really observe the work. Are there details about an object someone else would miss because they are not taking time to look and observe? Have one student pick an object without identifying it. Using observation skills, the student should describe the object to the other students. Be sure to include color, size, texture, and shape. The other students should try to guess the object being observed.

LITERATURE CONNECTION Suggest picture books or chapters of books related to the theme of your Museum tour. Don’t forget to discuss the book and its relationship to the art and artifacts visited.

Timeline Activity for Missouri Scene Directly related to 4th Grade Curriculum

(Timeline cards and rope are located in the storage area. Ask the guard for access)

1673 – French explorers Marquette and Jolliet were the first Europeans to reach the land that is now known as Missouri via the Mississippi River. 1803 – The Louisiana Purchase from France doubled the size of the United States. 1804 – May – Lewis and Clark started their journey from St. Louis on the Missouri River. 1805 – Missouri was officially incorporated as part of the Territory of Louisiana. The government began granting Land titles, and more settlers entered the state. 1806 – September – Lewis and Clark returned to St. Louis. 1812 – War of 1812 – Missouri becomes a territory and rapid settlement begins.

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1815 – The treaty between the United States Government and the Osage people was signed in Portage Des Sioux on the Mississippi River. 1817 – The territory of Missouri applied to Congress for statehood. There was a heated debate about whether Missouri should join the Union as a slave state or a free state. 1819 – May – The Independence became the first steamer to navigate the Missouri River, from St. Louis to Chariton, carrying flour, sugar, whiskey, and iron. Thomas Hickman House built in Franklin, Missouri. 1820 – The Missouri Compromise, created by Henry Clay, allowed Maine to enter the Union as a free state, while Missouri entered as a slave state. 1821 – August 10 – Missouri became the 24th state in the union. 1822 – The Missouri state star was added to the United States flag. 1825 – The federal government forced western Missouri’s largest native group, the Osage, to relocate to western Kansas.

Plat for the University of Missouri (1839)

1850’s – Businesses began transporting goods through Missouri by railway. 1857 – The Dred Scott Decision – The United States Supreme Court said Congress could not prevent slavery from any territory. 1861 – The Civil War (also known as The War between the States) began. 1861 – August - Battle of Wilson’s Creek (near Springfield) - This was a Confederate victory. 1864 – Battle of Westport (near Kansas City) – Union forces were victorious. 1865 – The Civil War ended.

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The Campus

Description: While you are exploring the buildings on historic Francis Quadrangle, stop

in Jefferson's Garden, located on the west side of the Chancellor’s Residence.

Jefferson's Garden is just one of many botanical gardens located on the MU campus,

the first land-grant university west of the Mississippi River in the Louisiana Purchase

territory. It is planted with a variety of flowers found in Mr. Jefferson’s experimental

gardens at Monticello such cardinal flowers, columbine, Virginia bluebells, sweet shrub

and Rose of Sharon, whose seeds were obtained from Monticello. Thomas Jefferson's

original grave marker, donated to the University by Jefferson's family in 1885, is also

located here in the Garden, as well as a bronze sculpture of Mr. Jefferson himself.

Historical background: Leaders of the American Revolution like Thomas Jefferson,

George Washington, and Benjamin Franklin believed that people who engaged in

agriculture, living close to nature, would make the best citizens for the new Republic.

Jefferson even wrote that “people who labor in the earth are God’s chosen people, if

ever he had a chosen people.” His fascination with nature and belief in American

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agriculture strongly influenced his purchase of the Louisiana Territory and sponsorship

of the Lewis and Clark Voyage of Discovery, as he attempted to gain enough land “for

the thousandth generation.” Jefferson himself experimented widely with crops at his

Monticello plantation, and argued that the best thing a person could do was to add a

new plant to American farming (such as the grapes and eggplant he introduced here).

Iconography: Landscape design and botanical gardens like Jefferson’s Garden have

long been recognized as works of art in their own right and part of our cultural heritage.

Tourists still travel widely to see ancient Italian villas and English country estates, both

traditions which influenced Mr. Jefferson’s landscape design for Monticello. In particular,

Enlightenment philosophers such as Thomas Jefferson regarded gardens as the ideal

balance between wilderness and human society, what he called “the middle landscape.”

Thomas Jefferson’s Original Tombstone

Description: When the heirs of Thomas Jefferson's made plans to replace his original (1833) tombstone which had been badly vandalized on the Monticello estate, they received numerous requests for the historic landmark. The University of Missouri petitioned and received it because we were the first state university in the Louisiana Purchase Territory which Thomas Jefferson had acquired from Napoleon in 1803 during his Presidency. The limestone tombstone arrived at MU in July, 1883 and is now located to the west of the Chancellor's Residence near the Museum. It is in the shape of an obelisk (pyramidal form) atop a rectangular base, and recalls Jefferson’s role as author of the Declaration of Independence, Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom (which called for freedom of religion), and the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia.

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Historical Background: While the tombstone he designed notes his authorship of the Declaration of Independence, his founding of the University of Virginia, and his responsibility for Virginia's Statute of Religious Freedom, it fails to mention his presidency. That omission does not mean that his two-term administration lacked significance. On the contrary, Jefferson's White House tenure marked one of this country's greatest territorial acquisitions, the Louisiana Purchase. Under his leadership, the country also fought against interference from Africa's Barbary Coast pirate states in the American-Mediterranean trade and created the U.S. Marine Corps. Unfortunately, these successes were overshadowed in his mind by deep popular disapproval of his disastrous trade embargo, designed to curb British and French infringements on this country's shipping and promote American manufacturing. Disappointed by the fierce public outcry to the embargo, Jefferson regarded his presidency as a "splendid misery" best forgotten. His epitaph therefore concentrated on what Jefferson believed were his finest contributions to the cause of the American Revolution and of human freedom. Iconography: Many leaders of the American Revolution like Thomas Jefferson belonged to a group called the Freemasons. The Masons emphasized science and reason as the keys to creating a more enlightened and free society, and they looked upon the ancient builders of the Egyptian pyramids as excellent examples of this approach. The pyramid symbolized for many of them a very solid, permanent, and basic mathematical form perfectly suited for creating their ideal new society. You can see this same form on the back of a dollar bill, along with the Latin phrase Novus Ordo Seclorum (A New Order for the Ages). Perhaps Thomas Jefferson used it on his tombstone to show that the new Republic needed political freedom, religious freedom, and education in order to endure. Bronze sculpture of Thomas Jefferson

Description: Just to the east from Mr. Jefferson’s original tombstone you will find the

bronze sculpture of him on the Francis Quadrangle by George Lundeen. Lundeen was a

Fulbright-Hayes Scholar studying at the Academia de Belle Arte in Florence, Italy. He

achieved the status of full Academician of the National Academy of Design in New York,

which is the highest professional recognition bestowed on visual arts in America. The

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bronze statue, depicting Jefferson involved in writing, was given to the University by the

Jefferson Club and dedicated on the Francis Quadrangle in June 2001.

Historical background: The legislative act that created the University of Missouri in 1839 incorporated some of Jefferson's key ideas on higher education. Jefferson believed that political independence ultimately depended upon good (virtuous) citizens who had the knowledge and information needed to make wise decisions for the future. In 1822, he wrote that "I look to the diffusion of light and education as the resource most to be relied on for ameliorating the conditions, promoting the virtue and advancing the happiness of man." Therefore, in his Northwest Ordinance for land subdivision (1787) he insisted that one section of public land be set aside in each new state entering the Union for a (land grant) university so that higher education would automatically be provided for in the future.

Iconography: Francis Quadrangle itself reflects Jefferson's own design for the University

of Virginia, in which classical buildings frame a long, green open space at the heart of

what Mr. Jefferson called “an academical village.” This “village” would be made up of

faculty and students working together to create a better future through knowledge and

research. The classical buildings symbolized the knowledge found in ancient history,

while the green, open space symbolized the openness of the American frontier itself.

In addition, the bronze sculpture recalls the bust of Mr. Jefferson created by French

sculptor Jean-Antoine Houdon. Houdon used this classical style and form to show that

Jefferson belonged to this important classical tradition, which emphasized human

freedom and dignity. Bronze material also symbolizes high value and permanence.

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The Columns

“Rich art thou in classic beauty, Of thy noble past…” University alma mater

Description: The row of six limestone Ionic columns located on Francis Quadrangle just outside

of the Museum of Art & Archaeology have become the symbol of the University of Missouri. The

Columns once supported the portico of Academic Hall, the first building erected on the campus

of the University of Missouri. Limestone for the Columns was obtained from the nearby Hinkson

Creek Valley and was hauled to the building by ox-drawn carts. They are all that remained after

the Great Fire (1892) which destroyed Old Academic Hall.

Historical background: Academic Hall was built between 1840 and 1843 from plans drawn by A.

Stephen Hills, designer of the first Missouri State Capitol in Jefferson City (also known as the

City of Jefferson). Old Academic Hall consisted of a domed central section of three stories with

two wings; it housed both educational and administrative facilities. On Jan. 9, 1892, Academic

Hall was destroyed by fire; the Columns were all that remained. In August 1893 the Board of

Curators voted to remove the Columns, considering them not only unsafe but unsightly.

However, supporters of the Columns rallied to their defense (a fight actually broke out), and

after inspection showed the foundations were safe, the Board voted to retain them in December

1893.

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Iconography: The classic Orders of Architecture (see display about the Orders in Cast Gallery)

date back to classical antiquity, and Thomas Jefferson strongly promoted this classical Revival

style for the new Republic. Ionic was chosen for Old Academic Hall because it symbolizes

wisdom. After the Great Fire (1892), some university leaders wanted the old Columns torn down

to make way for the new Francis Quadrangle. Others believed that the Columns symbolized our

connection with the past and fought (literally!) to preserve them. Today incoming freshmen and

graduating seniors pass through the historic Columns to mark the beginning and completion of

their days at the University of Missouri, a very wise tradition that grows richer and more

meaningful with every passing year. In the words of American novelist William Faulkner, “The

past is never really finished. It’s never even really past.”

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Museum Lobby

Sherry Fry (American, 1876-1966) Ceres, 1921 plaster model for bronze figure on the Capitol dome, Jefferson City (87.65)

Dialogue What kind of artwork is this? (sculpture – three-dimensional work that is carved, constructed, casted or modeled) Describe this work. (Is it free-standing, relief?) What tools are needed to create this? What do you think this woman represents? Why? Narrative Ceres, the patron goddess of agriculture (and cereal!), graces the top of the lantern on the Capitol in Jefferson City, Missouri’s dome. From Sherry Fry’s Figure on the Dome notation in Capitol Decoration Commission catalogue, “Her graceful garments seem in perpetual motion as the breezes of heaven play about her. … On her left arm she bears a sheaf of grain. Her right hand extends forward and downward in perpetual blessing.” His use of the classical image of Ceres symbolized the traditional importance of agriculture in Missouri life. The University of Missouri continues to assist Missouri agriculture and honor Ceres with programs supporting Missouri’s growing wine industry, farmer’s markets, and the experimental Center for Agroforestry in New Franklin, Missouri, site of the historic Thomas Hickman House that is now being restored.

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European and American Gallery

George Caleb Bingham (American, 1811-1879)

Portrait of Thomas Withers Nelson, 1844-1845

Oil on canvas (2003.5) Gilbreath-McLorn Museum Fund

George Caleb Bingham (American, 1811-1879)

Portrait of Judge Francis Marion Black, ca. 1878

Oil on canvas The State Historical Society of Missouri

Dialogue Who commissioned the portrait? Why was it painted? Where was it going to be displayed? Do you think the sitter was pleased with the finished product? In the Nelson portrait, what does the pin symbolize? What does that tell you about life in Missouri at this historical period? What do the clothes say about the man’s position in society? Is the portrait realistic or an idealized depiction? Realistic – color of clothes, hair… Idealized – perfect skin, perfect posture

Describe the colors used. Does Bingham use warm colors, cool colors, or neutral colors? How do colors affect the mood of this portrait? Warm – fire, sun, people with “sunny”

personalities Cool – water, moods of people feeling blue Neutral – can be slightly warm and earthy or

cool and impersonal or business-like What geometric shape does the man’s head and body form? Why would an artist like George Caleb Bingham use such forms?

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Narrative George Caleb Bingham is Missouri’s most famous nineteenth-century painter. He was born in Virginia in 1811, and moved to Franklin, Missouri in 1819. He began his career as a self-taught portrait painter in 1833 and became successful enough to open a St. Louis studio in 1834 and travel to Europe in 1856. He became famous for his so-called genre paintings of Missouri life such as The Jolly Flatboatmen and The County Election, showing frontier life before the Civil War. Bingham lived in Columbia, Missouri at several different times during his life and was appointed the first Professor of Art at the University of Missouri in 1877. About the portrait of Thomas Withers Nelson: Like Bingham and many other Missourians before the Civil War, Thomas Withers Nelson (1804-1879) was born in Virginia. In 1836 he emigrated from that financially troubled state and settled in Vermont, Missouri, a small town south of Boonville. In 1837 Nelson married Mary Gay Wyan, daughter of the wealthy Boonville merchant Jacob Wyan. Nelson moved to Boonville and Wyan made him a partner in his business. Thomas Withers Nelson built the magnificent Greek revival house “Forest Hill” in Boonville, MO. Greek Revival was a style made popular by Thomas Jefferson in his designs for places such as Monticello, Virginia. George Caleb Bingham was well acquainted with wealthy families like the Wyans and the Nelsons, painting portraits of several generations of both families. The American frontier opened up tremendous opportunities for people to acquire (and also lose) new wealth. The Museum’s portrait was originally paired with a painting of Nelson’s wife, Mary Gay Nelson. Historians believe that these two portraits were begun when Bingham was in Boonville for a convention for the Missouri Whig party that took place in 1844. Despite his romantic images of life on the Missouri frontier, Bingham supported the Whig political platform of national improvements such as roads, bridges, and better waterways. About the portrait of Judge Black: Bingham probably painted this portrait of Judge Francis Marion Black in 1878. Black was born and educated in Ohio, moving to Kansas City Missouri (where Bingham had a studio) in 1864. A distinguished lawyer, Black was a member of Missouri’s 1875 Constitutional Convention. In 1884 he was elected justice on the Missouri State Supreme Court, where he served until 1894. After he returned to private practice, Black helped found the Kansas City School of Law. This portrait is one of many Bingham paintings housed in the State Historical Society of Missouri. The Society’s galleries are also located here on the University of Missouri campus, at 1020 Lowry Street on the ground floor of Ellis library. Notes on portraiture: Historically, portraits conveyed the wealth of the sitter through fashionable costume and placement amid an imposing setting. Size of completed portrait – life size / bigger/ smaller – and portion of body portrayed – whole body/ head/ head and upper body – suggested the financial status of sitter as well. Accessories and props also educated the viewer – material of clothes, drapery, and furniture, other subjects – people, pets. Point of view – is the observer

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forced to look up at the subject in the painting, see eye to eye? Artists – good artists – often made sitters look more glamorous, beautiful, self-assured than they actually were. Don’t smile! A serious expression on the subject’s face gives the appearance of an important leader – strong, powerful, and courageous. How would this portrait differ if Nelson were smiling? Creative Response: If someone were to create a portrait of you, what would you wear? What would be the background? Describe your expression or mood for the portrait. What size would the portrait be: life-size, bigger, or smaller? Would your portrait be of the entire body? Just the head? The head and upper body? Would you include any accessories or objects?

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Frederick Oakes Sylvester (American 1869-1915) Mississippi River Loading, 1897 Oil on canvas (81.155) Gift of Mr. and Mrs. George Schriever

Dialogue What do you see in this painting? Describe what is happening. Is this a calm scene or busy? Stimulating or restful? Can we tell what the weather is like? Explain. Many of the lines in this painting are horizontal. How do horizontal lines affect mood? Creates a calming affect Creates an equilibrium

What can we perceive of life on the river from this painting? Why was life on the river so important to Missouri and Missourians? Is it still important?

Narrative Frederick Oakes Sylvester was born in Brockton, Massachusetts in 1869. He began his painting career in Boston, but moved to New Orleans in the 1890s to become director of the Art Department of Newcomb College. In 1892 he came to St. Louis, where he painted numerous images of the Mississippi River, often representing modern, industrial life on the waterway. Later, Sylvester abandoned representing urban life on the Mississippi, and began to use the river to express a more romantic, personal relationship with nature. The 1897 picture Mississippi River Loading is typical of Sylvester’s earlier images of the river. Creative Response: Can you think of somewhere in your community that would make a good landscape drawing or painting? What kinds of elements (water, hills, trees, rocks, etc.) make it a good choice? Would you want to create a drawing with lots of textures included, a painting depicting the colors that you see, or a photograph capturing the essence of that environment? Why?

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The Art Case

Irving Couse (American, 1866-1936) Osage Village, 1923-1924 Oil on masonite (87.37)

Irving Couse (American, 1866-1936) Osage Hunters, 1923-1924 Oil on masonite (87.39)

Dialogue What is going on in these paintings? For each lunette, what is in the foreground? Background? What is the center of interest? How are Native Americans depicted? Calm, peaceful Showing scenes of everyday life

In what part of Missouri were the Osage mainly located? South central

What do these paintings tell us about everyday life among the Osage people in regards to the following: Living quarters- Cooking- Hunting- Clothing- Roles of adults/roles of children- Roles of men/women-

Narrative In these two studies for lunettes in the Missouri State Capitol, Couse’s images of Native Americans are romanticized and sympathetic. The artist based his reconstruction of an Osage village on his own observations of Native Americans in New Mexico. He also based the costumes and hairstyles of his figures on a study of documents and photographs related to the Osage in Missouri. (See Appendix 1)

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Walter Ufer (American, 1876-1936) Chouteau’s Treaty with the Osages, 1923 – 1924 Oil and graphic on canvas (87.46)

Dialogue What is going on in this painting? How are the Native American people depicted? the Americans? Is this a tense moment? How can you tell? Did the Native Americans understand the terms of treaty the same way as Chouteau and his men? How might they have differed? Is there balance to this painting?

• Consider symmetrical vs. asymmetrical balance

Who is leading the treaty negotiations? (See Appendix 2 for more information)

Narrative Walter Ufer became one of the founders of the Taos Society of Artists and achieved much distinction as a painter of Pueblo Indian genre. Ufer sometimes portrayed the Indian in genre scenes, unlike the idealized portrayals of Couse. Ufer and six other Taos Society of Painters members worked on murals in the Missouri State Capitol. This study for a large lunette represents the negotiation of the 1815 treaty between the United States Government and the Osage people. The treaty was signed in the town of Portage Des Sioux on the Mississippi River, twenty miles northwest of St. Louis. William Clark, who was governor of the Missouri territory at the time, signed the treaty together with commissioners Auguste Chouteau and Ninian Edwards. Twenty-four Native Americans countersigned the document with their “X” marks. Auguste Chouteau, the son of a French settler, negotiated the treaty. Chouteau grew up around Missouri’s Osage people and spoke their language fluently. He made a living as a fur trader, and like many French fur traders often lived and worked among Native Americans. Iconography: By the Nineteen Twenties, Americans increasingly looked at native Americans with nostalgia now that fighting on the American frontier had ended. President Theodore Roosevelt signed the Antiquities Act in 1905 to protect Indian burial sites from looting, while artists like Georgia O’Keefe and writers like Willa Cather treated native Americans as symbols of America’s romantic frontier past in the face of rapid industrialization and the growth of big cities like Saint Louis and Kansas City, Missouri. Like Walter Ufer, many of these writers and artists located themselves in the American Southwest in places such as Taos, New Mexico.

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Newell Convers Wyeth, (American, 1882-1945) The Battle of Westport, October 23, 1864, ca. 1921 Study for a Missouri State Capitol mural, Jefferson City, Missouri Oil with pencil and charcoal on canvas 87.30 Description: Newell Convers Wyeth was born in Needham Massachusetts in 1882. He is one of the most important painter-illustrators of the first half of the twentieth century, and the patriarch of a family of artists that includes his son Andrew Wyeth. The elder Wyeth specialized in book illustrations as well as large murals. This painting is a study for a lunette decorating the Missouri State Capitol building in Jefferson City. The Capitol Decoration Commission asked Wyeth to paint two murals representing Civil War battles in Missouri because both the North and South received strong support in the state during the conflict. Wyeth was asked to paint both a Confederate victory (The Battle of Wilson’s Creek), and a Union triumph (The Battle of Westport). Historical background: The battle is sometimes called the “Gettysburg of the West.” As at Gettysburg, Confederates attempted a desperate cavalry charge to overtake Union batteries positioned along a ridge near Kansas City. Union forces met the charge, and the seven-hour cavalry fight (a football game is only three hours long and includes timeouts) was one of the fiercest conventional battles of the war. Northern forces emerged victorious in the last major Civil War battle in Missouri. Iconography: Following the First World War, American public art like The Battle of Westport emphasized large-scale historical works and romanticized images created in the Neo-Classical (or Beaux Arts, from the famous French Academy) style. Enormous public buildings like our own State Capitol in Jefferson City and their decorations (such as the Ceres statue you saw earlier) reminded Americans that we had our own great, classical history and were becoming the new Roman Empire to replace Europe. Bingham’s Order No.11 offers another view of the Civil War in Missouri, one much less romantic but also closer to the reality of ferocious guerilla warfare that raged across the divided State.

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Barton Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art

Thomas Hart Benton (American, 1889-1975) Portrait of a Musician, 1949 Casein, egg tempera and oil varnish on canvas mounted on wood panel (67.136) Anonymous Gift

Dialogue What is going on in this painting? Musician is playing bass type of music is being played - Jazz

What has the artist repeated? Curved shape of the bass and the musician’s

face, curved lines in clothing Direction of line – arms holding bass and

playing the instrument, right arm and neck of bass

Line – diagonal of position of bass, position of musician’s stance

What makes this painting realistic? What makes it unusual? Consider proportion of hands, head

What color style is primarily used: complementary, monochromatic, or analogous? Complementary colors: opposites on the

color wheel (blue & orange, yellow & violet, green & red)

Monochromatic: all shades and tints of one hue

Analogous: colors near each other on the color wheel (ex: red, red-orange, yellow)

What is the mood of this painting? Note expression of musician Note style of clothing Note colors used

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Narrative Thomas Hart Benton was born in Neosho, Missouri, in 1889. After studying painting briefly in Chicago, he traveled to Paris and enrolled in the Académie Julian (1908-1911). He later claimed that in Paris he “wallowed in every cock-eyed ‘ism’ that came along.” The artist eventually decided that a representational style best expressed his aesthetic and social philosophy. In the 1920s and 30s Benton became associated with the American Regionalist movement. Like his contemporaries, John Steuart Curry and Grant Wood, Benton often represented the everyday life of poor and rural people in the Midwest. While many critics labeled the Regionalists as provincial, the artists themselves often held very progressive and populist ideals, celebrating the lives of working class people and minorities who were often ignored in the cultural centers of urban America. The model for Portrait of a Musician was a jazz bassist who played in a Kansas City nightclub Benton frequented in the 1940s. Benton was interested in representing African-American culture in Missouri, and he particularly enjoyed drawing and painting jazz players and folk musicians. Like Mannerist painters such as Michelangelo and El Greco, Benton employs sculptural forms, exaggerated gestures and undulating lines to heighten drama. Here he repeats the curved shape of the bass in the rhythmic contours of the musician’s face, hands and body. This repetition of S-forms becomes a visual metaphor for the jazz music (which is characterized by innovative variations on an elemental theme) that the bassist plays.

Creative Response: If you were going to paint a portrait of someone playing your favorite kind of music, what would it look like? What kind of lines would you use? What colors would be used most? Would you make it realistic or abstract? How could you make your painting seem alive? American Regionalism Exhibition AMERICAN REGIONALISM: Visions from the Heartland showcases works by such Missouri artists as Thomas Hart Benton, Frederick E. Shane, and Charles Albert Morgenthaler, featuring landscapes and portraits representing Missouri life of the period.

Visions from the Heartland The American Regionalists were a group of artists whose paintings, drawings, and prints represented everyday life in the heart of the United States during the 1920s through the 50s and later. Some of the most important artists associated with this movement were the Midwestern painters Thomas Hart Benton, John Steuart Curry and Grant Wood.

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While many East Coast critics branded the Regionalists as reactionary and provincial, the artists themselves often held progressive, populist and even socialist ideals. Many of them felt that modernist art was inaccessible to working class people, and they hoped to create images that would reflect and ennoble the lives of the rural poor. By representing the Midwestern landscape and its inhabitants, Regionalists celebrated an underclass of people whose lives were often ignored in the cultural centers of urban America.

Thomas Hart Benton (American, 1889-1975) Planting or Spring Plowing, 1939 Lithograph (81.38) Gift of Mr. and Mrs. D. A. Ross

Dialogue What is happening in this print? What kind of line does Benton seem to use most? How does that create a sense of unity in his work?

• Consider the repetition of the lines. When Benton made this print, farming machinery had been invented and was used. What do you think is important about the fact that these people are not using modern machinery? What kinds of colors do you imagine would be in this kind of scene?

• Consider warm, cool, neutral, and earth tones.

• Consider the moods associated with these colors.

What kind of mood is created in this scene even though it is lacking color? Do you think this work has a message? What do you think it is?

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Narrative Missouri artist Thomas Hart Benton has often been called the leading exponent of American Regionalism. He frequently represented scenes from everyday rural life, and his style is characterized by sculptural forms, undulating lines, and rhythmic gestures. By producing lithographs in multiple impressions, Thomas Hart Benton made his images available to people unable to afford his more expensive paintings. Like many of his prints, Planting was distributed in an edition of 250 by Associated American Artists (AAA), an organization founded by New York art dealers, Reeves Lewenthal and Maurice Leiderman in 1934. In the 1930s and 40s, AAA “democratized art” by selling the prints of established artists, such as Thomas Hart Benton, Grant Wood and John Steuart Curry, through mail order catalogs and magazine advertisements, usually for five dollars a piece. In a stump-ridden field a black man plows and a black woman sows seed; trees and small house in background. The litho is after a painting Planting also of 1939; its location is not known. Benton writes: “From a drawing made in southern Arkansas in 1938. The man plows, the woman sows. Common enough scene up to very lately—maybe it is still to be found. Old ways don’t die easily.” Creative Response: Think about an activity that people do today that has been changed or improved by the use of technology or machinery (writing letters vs. email; traveling via airplane vs. horse, boat, or train; etc). Why do some people choose to continue doing these activities in the “old fashioned” way? Are there any activities that you think are better done the “old fashioned” way? Why or why not?

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Thomas Hart Benton (American, 1889-1975) The Fence Mender, 1940 Lithograph (80.188) Gift of Mr. and Mrs. D. A. Ross

Dialogue What is the man in this picture doing? What kind of day is depicted here? What is the weather like? Point out where you see examples of curving lines. Do you think these lines contribute to a natural or organic feeling in the image? What are some the textures that you imagine are in this scene? Why do you think the fence needs mending? What kinds of forces would cause it to need repair? What happened to the Missouri landscape in the Thirties? The artist chose to depict an “everyday” scene here—there is nothing glorious or monumental about the man’s activity. Why do you think Thomas Hart Benton chose to make a print of this kind of scene?

Narrative Benton repeatedly depicted rural Americans performing tasks that were required for the daily upkeep of their farms and/or property. In Fence Mender, a man repairs a barbed wire fence, a structure that controls the movements of farm animals and serves as a barrier to predators and trespassers. In The Lithographs of Thomas Hart Benton, Benton commented on the image: Common scenes where there are barbed wire fences. This one was found in middle Nebraska in 1939 on the trip where the horses were bought for the French light artillery. Creative Response: Can you think of any other works at the Museum of Art and Archaeology that depict “everyday” events? Why do you think artists choose to show these kinds of activities? How are these artworks similar to the snapshot photographs that we take of our friends and family today? How do you think Benton’s prints will be interpreted by people who see them in the future (100 or 300 years from now)?

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Thomas Hart Benton (American, 1889-1975) Down the River or The Young Fisherman, 1939 Lithograph (80.187) Gift of Mr. and Mrs. D. A. Ross

Dialogue What are these men doing? How did the artist use foreground, middleground, and background to create a focal point (point of emphasis, where the eye is drawn first)? What do you image the weather is like in this scene? How do you know? Compare this picture to Planting or Spring Plowing by the same artist. What are the similarities? What things are different? Can you tell that they are both by Thomas Hart Benton? How?

Narrative Benton often portrayed inhabitants of rural America participating in popular leisure activities. In this lithograph, Benton represents a "float" trip, a typical recreational activity for Missourians. Preliminary drawings for the scene were made while Benton was on a float trip in the Ozarks. In the foreground, an older man and a boy (Benton's son, T.P. Benton) travel down a river in a johnboat. The man rows the small boat, while the youth, wearing a large straw hat, fishes. In the distance, two figures guide their boat down the same winding river. In The Lithographs of Thomas Hart Benton, Benton explained how the image related to his own life:Twice yearly, spring and autumn, I have floated these rivers for many years, fishing, camping out on the sand and gravel bars and just watching the river banks go by. Creative Response: What are some of your favorite leisure activities? Are there any that you particularly like to share with family members? How do they compare to the ones Benton describes?

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Thomas Hart Benton (American, 1889-1975) Shallow Creek, 1939 Lithograph (X-90)

Dialogue What is happening in this image? What kind of line does Benton seem to use most? How does that create a sense of unity in his work?

• Consider the repetition of curving lines throughout the print.

Where are the implied lines that lead our eye through the image?

• Consider the contour of the bare tree, the contour of the leaves of the tree on the right, the stones in the water, the bush and log in the lower left corner.

What kinds of colors do you imagine would be in this kind of scene?

• Consider warm, cool, neutral, and earth tones.

What is the focal point of this image? What did the artist do to create that emphasis?

• Consider “framing” elements like trees.

Narrative A stream, flowing from the right side in the foreground to the center of the background, is flanked by rocks and trees and is crossed by a bridge at a distance. A young boy (Benton’s son) wades across an Ozark stream holding up his overall legs. Creative Response: Imagine that you lived in New York City during the 1930s. You had never been to the Midwest region and saw this print by Thomas Hart Benton. What ideas would you have about this part of the country?

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Thomas Hart Benton (American, 1889-1975) Slow Train Through Arkansas, 1941 Lithograph on paper (98.46) Gift of Robert M. Barton

Dialogue What is going on in this print? Benton uses a lot of curvy lines in his work. Where are the lines most obvious?

• Smoke from train, contour lines of cows, bushes, horizon line

What is the focal point of this work? How do you know?

• Dark area of smoke, area of action with cows and figure.

What do you think the mood is? How has the artist created a mood in this image? How is this mood different from the mood in Shallow Creek?

• Consider how the artist has created a mood of calm and tranquility in Shallow Creek versus the action and chaos of this print.

There is a combination of modern machinery and old fashioned farming in this image. Do you think that the artist was trying to communicate a message in this work, or was he just showing a common mishap in the Midwest? Do you think this really happened?

Narrative This lithograph was printed in black ink. A locomotive with billowing black smoke is stopped on railroad track in the left half of the composition. A man on the right waves off three cows, which block the tracks. This print is based on a painting of the same title executed in 1929. Creative Response: Imagine you saw this event when it happened. Write a letter to a distant friend or relative describing what happened. What kinds of descriptive language would you use to explain the details of the event? Would you convey that this was a humorous event or a serious one?

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Charles Albert Morgenthaler (American, 1893-1980) Dinner Bell in the Missouri Ozarks, 1955 Oil on canvas (84.12) Given in memory of Mr. And Mrs. William Randolph Benson by Margaret B. Matson and Caroline B. Pearman

Dialogue What is the subject of this landscape painting? Is this painting style realistic or abstract?

• Realistic art imitates objects as closely as possible to the way they look in the world.

• Abstract art is not realistic. Usually forms are still recognizable, but they are simplified and the artist focuses on formal elements such as color, line or shape.

What do you think this artist felt was important about showing the Missouri?

• Consider the choice of architecture (houses and barns versus the capitol building).

Narrative Born in Hallsville, Missouri, Charles Morgenthaler received his art education at the University of Missouri and the Art Institute of Chicago. He later moved to Saint Louis where he became a successful illustrator and mural painter. Dinner Bell in the Missouri Ozarks is a good example of Regionalist painting from the 1950’s. Morgenthaler represents the modest lifestyle of rural Missourians. Humans harmoniously interact with nature and animals in the Ozark landscape. Everyday life is celebrated, as farm workers and family members rush home to enjoy a midday meal. Wind-blown clouds move over farm buildings (left) and house (right) as woman rings bell and men wash face and hands for dinner. Boy and dog rush up path toward house. Excited movement in farm ducks and in blowing clothes on line. Creative Response: Think about the difference between the way that this painting was made compared to the way Thomas Hart Benton’s prints were made. There are many prints of Benton’s work and there is only one of this painting. If you were an artist, which was would you prefer to work? Many people could have your prints for an affordable price, but the one painting might end up being more valuable.

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Suggested Post-visit Activities The activities listed below complement multiple areas of the curriculum. Some can easily be incorporated into the tour time while at the Museum of Art & Archaeology. TIMELINE REVIEW After reviewing the works you discussed at the Museum of Art and Archaeology, create a timeline of the works, noting the eras these works represent. MAP MANIA I Look up where these artifacts were found, or where the artists were born or reside. How far did you “travel” on your visit to the Museum? MINI MUSEUMS Ask students what they would include in their own personal museum of Missouri life and history. What would they name their museum? DISCUSSION After the Curriculur Tour, discuss students’ reactions to the works of art. Did your impression of Missouri life and history change after seeing the artwork in the Museum? In what ways? JOURNALING PROMPTS

• At the Museum of Art and Archaeology, I heard the story of …… who/that ….. • My favorite artwork/artifact at the Museum of Art and Archaeology was….

because…. • Something interesting I learned during the visit was … • I was most surprised to find out …. • I would like to learn more about…

REFLECT WITH PANTOMIME Have students choose one artwork they viewed and pantomime the motions used in creating the work of art. Other students can ask yes or no questions of the pantomime to determine the work of art (determine minimum of 8 before stating artist or artwork). Questioning students demonstrate their retained knowledge based on questions asked. The pantomime demonstrates retained knowledge through pantomime and when answering questions. This activity is a useful assessment tool for kinesthetic learners. WEB-BASED ACTIVITIES The web resources below are ideal for enriching topics related to your museum tour, researching and exploring new topics, and for developing and refining new concepts.

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WEBQUEST http://oncampus.richmond.edu/academics/education/projects/ WebQuests - A WebQuest is an inquiry-oriented activity in which most or all of the information used by learners is drawn from the Web. The WebQuests on these pages have been developed as cooperative learning activities. Student groups may be presented with a problem to solve, a scenario, or a topic to examine in depth. Work begins with every student examining some common background material(s). Then each student in a group takes on a role and becomes an expert on his/her topic. Once students have carried out their research, they come back to their groups and teach their peers what they have learned. The group then reflects on this material and together, completes a task that includes all roles and perspectives. GLOSSARY American Regionalism—The work of a small group of North American Artists of the 1930s and 1940s who concentrated on rural Midwestern subject matter and rejected most forms of European influence. Leading members of the group were Thomas Hart Benton, Grant Wood, and John Steuart Curry. Many of the artists concerned were closely connected with the WPA - Works Progress Administration. (The historical and artistic significance of Franklin Roosevelt's WPA art was its attempt to free U.S. culture from domination by European viewpoints, to explore the roots of American cultural identity, and to bridge the abyss that chronically exists between much of the American public and the world of art.) American Scene Painting—American figurative painting of the 1920s and 1930s, committed to a realistic depiction of contemporary American life, mostly small-town and rural rather than big-city subjects. It found much of its subject matter in the rural Midwest. Background—In a scene or an artwork, the part that looks farther away or behind other parts Balance – A principle of design that describes the arrangement of parts of an artwork. An artwork that is balanced seems to have equal visual weight or interest in all areas. It seems stable. Center of Interest—The main, or first, thing you notice in an artwork. Can also be called “focal point.” Color — Primary – red, yellow, blue (cannot be made by mixing) Secondary – orange (red + blue), purple (red + blue), green (blue + yellow) Complimentary Colors- Colors that are opposite from each other on the color

wheel. Pairs of colors, such as red and green, yellow and violet, or orange and blue

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Analogous-three colors next to one another on the color wheel Monochromatic-one color and its tints and shades Warm colors -reds, oranges, yellows Cool colors - blues, greens and violets Neutral colors - grays, black and white

Composition—The combination of elements in a painting or other work of art so that they seem satisfactory to the artist. Or, more loosely, a painting, relief, or sculptured group, especially if it contains a large number of different elements. Engraving—The process of making a design on a hard surface by inscribing it with a point. Foreground —In a scene or picture, the part that seems near or close to you. Form—Real form: An object with three dimensions: height, width and depth. Implied form: An object that appears to have three dimensions. George Caleb Bingham (1811-1879)—A Missouri artist who is celebrated for his genre scenes representing everyday life in mid-nineteenth century Missouri. Harlem Renaissance — 1920-1940 – A name of a period and a group of artists who lived and worked in Harlem, New York City. They used a variety of art forms to express their lives as African Americans. Idealistic —Art that presents the subject in its most perfect form Landscape—A work of art that shows outdoor scenery, particularly natural scenes such as lakes, rivers, mountains, and valleys. Lines—The path of a moving point. A line can vary in length, width, direction, curvature and color. Line can be two-dimensional (a pencil line on a paper), three-dimensional (wire) or implied. Lithograph—A print made by drawing on fine-grained porous limestone or on a zinc plate with greasy material, then wetting the stone or plate and applying greasy ink, which will adhere only to the drawn lines. Dampened paper is applied to the stone and is rubbed over with a special press to make the final print. Lunette—A semicircular space, often a window, or the area of a wall between a rectangular window and the vault above it. Lunettes also appear at the tops of large altarpieces. Lunettes are often filled with paintings or mosaics, such as those in the Sistine Chapel.

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Middle Ground—The space that appears to lie between the foreground and the background of a work of art Mural—A painting made directly on a wall or fastened permanently to a wall. Point of View—The angle from which the viewer sees an object or a scene. Portrait—A likeness of a person, especially showing the face. Portraits, however, can be abstracted, showing the components of a person or one’s personality and then assigning those characteristics to a particular person. Realistic—Art that portrays a familiar subject with lifelike colors, textures, shadows, and proportions Repeated—A design with parts that are used over and over again in a regular or planned way, usually to create a visual rhythm or harmony. Shape—A closed line or flat area. (Can be either geometric or free/organic) Geometric: Shapes that have rules (circle, square, triangle, rectangle) Free/Organic: Shapes without names or rules. Space—The distance across and between things. Study—A detailed representation of some part of a figure or composition, or of the composition as a whole, made so that the artist can be sure of getting it right in the finished work. Texture— Real texture: The way something feels. Implied texture: The way something looks like it would feel. Thomas Hart Benton (1889-1975)—Born in Neosho, Missouri, Benton often represented the everyday life of the poor and rural people of Missouri. He is well known for his murals in the House lounge of the Missouri State Capitol Building in Jefferson City. Benton was very politically involved, as his father was a US Congressman and his great uncle, for whom he was named, was a Missouri senator. Value—the range from light to dark. Woodcut — A type of relief printing in which areas of the wood block are carved away; ink is put on the raised surface and it is printed onto paper when pressure is applied. For the definitions of other terms, see: Edward Lucie-Smith. The Thames and Hudson Dictionary of Art Terms. 2nd ed.

New York: Thames and Hudson, 2003.

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Laura H. Chapman. Art: Images and Ideas. Worcester, Massachusetts: Davis Publications, Inc, 1992.

Further Reading And Classroom Resources Website Resources Lewis and Clark Across Missouri (http://lewisclark.geog.missouri.edu/links.shtml)

This terrific resource includes maps of the campsites from 1803-1804 and 1806, virtual landmarks, most of the links listed below:

The National Lewis & Clark Bicentennial Council – www.lewisandclark200.org The National Council of the Lewis & Clark Bicentennial Website PBS Online - Lewis and Clark – www.pbs.org/lewisandclark/ PBS web site dedicated to the Ken Burns film, Lewis and Clark: The Journey of

the Corps of Discovery Westward Expansion – www.americanwest.com/pages/wexpansi.htm Includes maps of Lewis and Clark Expedition 1804, Santa Fe Trail 1821, Oregon

Trail 1835 and Pony Express Route 1860 National Geographic's Lewis and Clark website –http://www.nationalgeographic.com/lewisclark/ http://www.nationalgeographic.com/lewisandclark/ http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/04/0418_020419_lewisclark.html An interactive website that allows the viewer to re-live the Lewis and Clark

expedition. Discovering Lewis and Clark – www.lewis-clark.org/ An impressive website that documents the Lewis and Clark expedition. Corps of Discovery Opera – www.corpsofdiscovery.missouri.edu

The nations” first musical drama featuring the Lewis and Clark expedition, commissioned for the national bicentennial of that journey

The Journals of Lewis and Clark – The Journals of Lewis and Clark Lewis and Clark Internet Archive – www.lcarchive.org Huge listing of Lewis and Clark information on the Internet Discovery Expedition of St. Charles – www.lewisandclark.net This site is dedicated to living history---bringing the story of Lewis and Clark alive

through river-based reenactments, with replicas of their boats as a center point. Fort Clatsop National Memorial

Members of the Lewis and Clark expedition experienced mixed emotions when they reached their goal near the present site of Fort Columbia Historical State Park. They were elated at having accomplished their mission.

Lewis and Clark in Idaho – www.idptv.state.id.us/lc/index.html

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National Historic Landmarks, National Park Service – www2.cr.nps.gov/nhl/ This site has a searchable database of Historic Landmarks (you can list all Lewis

and Clark sites, for example). Pony Express

Ranked among the most remarkable feats to come out of the 1860 American West, the Pony Express was in service from April 1860 to November 1861. Its primary mission was to deliver mail and news between St. Joseph, Missouri, and San Francisco, California.

Other Lewis and Clark websites:

http://www.nps.gov/jeff/LewisClark2/HomePage/HomePage.htm

http://www.lewis-clark.org/index.htm

http://www.lewisandclark200.com/index.phtml

http://lewisclark.geog.missouri.edu/index.shtml

http://www.lcarchive.org/

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/lewisandclark/index.html

http://www.visitmo.com/lewisandclark/calendar.cfm Book Resources The Lewis and Clark Trail: Then and Now by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent, Photographs by William Muñoz, Dutton Children’s Books, New York, © 2002 The Journals of Lewis and Clark edited by Frank Bergon, Penguin Books, © 1989 Missouri: Adventures in Time and Place, Macmillan McGraw-Hill, New York, © 1998

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APPENDIX 1

The Osage: http://www.nps.gov/fosc/osage.htm

Warriors of the Woods and Prairies Before the arrival of the Europeans, the Osage Indians roamed a vast domain in the heart of North America. Although the Osage were a proud and powerful tribe, they could not withstand the pressure of European civilization. Soon after French fur trappers established contact with the Osages in the 1670s, their way of life began to change. By 1872, encroachment from American settlers forced the Osages to relinquish most of their remaining ancestral homelands and relocate to their present reservation in Oklahoma. Children of the Middle Waters A spiritual people, the Osage Indians were excellent hunters and fierce warriors. Their religious beliefs were based on Wah-kon-tah, the great mystery spirit or power. In one creation legend, the Osages believed that the People of the Sky (Tzi-sho) met with the People of the Land (Hun-Kah) to form one tribe, the Children of the Middle Waters (Ni-u-ko'n-ska). Living in semipermanent villages primarily along the Osage River, the Osage Indians roamed the land between three great rivers, the Missouri to the north, the Mississippi to the east, and the Arkansas to the south. Their western boundary stretched into the windswept plains where they hunted buffalo.

Osage Lifestyle The Osage way of life depended on hunting, since deer and bison provided food , clothing, and other essentials for them. Before leaving on the summer hunt (one of three annual hunts), the Osage planted vegetables such as corn, beans and pumpkins. In August, they returned to harvest their untended crops, and then left for an autumn hunt. Although only the men hunted, the women did the work of butchering and preparing the meat, and tanning the hides.

Descriptions of the Osages

George Catlin The famous Indian artist, George Catlin, captured several Osage Indians on canvas at Fort Gibson in 1834. He stated: "The Osages have been formerly, and until quite recently, a powerful and warlike tribe: carrying all their arms fearlessly through to all these realms; and ready to cope with foes of any kind that they were liable to meet. At present, the case is quite different; they have been repeatedly moved and jostled along, …" He noted that despite their reduction in numbers caused by every tribal

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move, war and smallpox, the Osages waged war on the Pawnee and Comanche.

Catlin believed the Osages " to be the tallest race of men in North America, either red or white skins; there being few indeed of the men at their full growth, who are less than six feet in stature, and very many of them six and a half, and others seven feet." One of the most distinguished warriors that the artist painted was Tal-lee, who Catlin described as a "handsome and high-minded gentleman of the wild woods and prairies." Equipped with a lance in his hand, a shield on his arm, and a bow and quiver on his back, Tal-lee presented a "fair specimen of the Osage figure and dress." Louis Cortambert In 1836, Louis Cortambert, a French writer, observed that the Osage men " carefully pull the hairs from their faces, even their eyebrows, and shave their heads, leaving on the top a

tuft of hair, which terminates in back in a pigtail." Victor Tixier In 1840, a young Frenchman named Victor Tixier described the Osages: "The men are tall and perfectly proportioned. They have at the same time all the physical qualities which denote skill and strength combined with graceful movements." The Osages loved to decorate themselves, often suspending beads and bones from their ears and tattooing their bodies, Tixler observed: "Their ears, slit by knives, grow to be enormous, and they hang low under the weight of the ornaments with which they are laden."

Osage Relocation The ancestral home of the Osages was part of the immense Louisiana Purchase that the United States acquired in 1803. Missouri achieved statehood in 1821, and soon after over 5,000 Osages were removed west to the Indian Territory. Other Indian tribes from the eastern U.S. were also relocated west of the Missouri and Arkansas boundaries. Federal troops were stationed in this "Permanent Indian Territory" to keep the peace. After Kansas opened for settlement in 1854, many Indian tribes were again relocated. In 1872, the Osages moved to their present reservation. Like other tribes, their ancestral way of life was not compatible with the white man's way of life.

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Suggested Reading • A History of the Osage People, by Louis F. Burns. • The Osages: Children of the Middle Waters, by John Joseph Matthews. • Osage Life and Legends, by Robert Liebert • North American Indians (Vols. 1 and 2), by George Catlin • Tixler's Travels on the Osage Prairies, by John Francis McDermott • The Imperial Osages, by Gilbert C. Din and A.B. Nasatir. Related Sites • The Osage Nation: http://www.osagetribe.com/ • Osage :

http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/cultural/northamerica/osage.html • Historic Native Americans: The Osage Indians :

http://www.uark.edu/depts/contact/osage.html

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APPENDIX 2

Indian Affairs: Law s and Treaties. Vol. II (Treaties) in part. Compiled and edited by

Charles J. Kappler. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1904.

http://digital.library.okstate.edu/kappler/Vol2/treaties/osa0119.htm

TREATY WITH THE OSAGE, 1815. Sept. 12, 1815. | 7 Stat., 133. | Ratified Dec. 26, 1815. Vol. II, Pages 119-120 | Page 120

Vol. II, Page Images | Page 119 | Page 120 Margin Notes: Injuries, etc., forgiven. Perpetual peace and friendship. Former treaties recognized and confirmed. A treaty of peace and friendship, made and concluded between William Clark, Ninian Edwards, and Auguste Chouteau, Commissioners Plenipotentiary of the United States of America, on the part and behalf of the said States, of the one part; and the undersigned King, Chiefs, and Warriors, of the Great and Little Osage Tribes or Nations, on the part and behalf of their said Tribes or Nations, of the other part. The parties being desirous of re-establishing peace and friendship between the United States and the said tribes or nations, and of being placed in all things, and in every respect, on the same footing upon which they stood before the war, have agreed to the following articles: ARTICLE 1. Every injury, or act of hostility, by one or either of the contracting parties against the other, shall be mutually forgiven and forgot. [*120]

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ART. 2. There shall be perpetual peace and friendship between all the citizens of the United States of America and all the individuals composing the said Osage tribes or nations. ART. 3. The contracting parties, in the sincerity of mutual friendship recognize, re-establish, and confirm, all and every treaty, contract, and agreement, heretofore concluded between the United States and the said Osage tribes or nations. In witness whereof, the said William Clark, Ninian Edwards, and Auguste Chouteau, commissioners as aforesaid, and the king, chiefs, and warriors of the said tribes or nations have hereunto subscribed their names and affixed their seals, this twelfth day of September, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and fifteen, and of the independence of the United States the fortieth. Wm. Clark, [L. S.] Ninian Edwards, [L. S.] Auguste Chouteau, [L. S.] Teshuhimga, or white hair, his x mark, [L. S.] Caygaywachepeche, or the bad chief, his x mark, [L. S.] Couchestawasta, or the one who sees far, his x mark, [L. S.] Gradamnsa, or iron kite, his x mark, [L. S.] Mahsa, his x mark, [L. S.] Wanougpacha, or he who fears not, his x mark, [L. S.] Hurate, the piper bird, his x mark, [L. S.] Wasabatougga, big bear, his x mark, [L. S.] Nekagahre, he who beats the men, his x mark, [L. S.] Mekewatanega, he who carries the sun, his x mark, [L. S.] Nangawahagea, his x mark, [L. S.] Kemanha, the wind racer of the Arkinsaw band, his x mark, [L. S.] The Little Osages: Caggatanagga, the great chief, his x mark, [L. S.] Nechoumanu, the walking rain, his x mark, [L. S.] Watashinga, he who has done little, his x mark, [L. S.] Nehujamega, without ears, his x mark, [L. S.] Ososhingga, the little point, his x mark, [L. S.] Akidatangga, the big soldier, his x mark, [L. S.] Wabesongge, his x mark, [L. S.] Nehreegnegawachepecha, his x mark, [L. S.] Grecnachee, he who arrives, his x mark, [L. S.] Wahadanoe, of the Missouri tribe, his x mark, [L. S.] Asooga, the little horn, his x mark, [L. S.] Mathagrhra, the cutter, his x mark, [L. S.]

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Done at Portage des Sioux, in the presence of— R. Wash, secretary of the commission, Thomas Levers, lieutenant colonel, commanding First Regiment, I. T., P. Chouteau, agent Osages, T. Paul, C. C. T., James B. Moore, captain. Samuel Whiteside, captain. Jno. W. Johnson, United States, factor and Indian agent, Maurice Blondeaux. Samuel Solomon, Noel Mograine, Interpreters. P. L. Chouteau, Daniel Converse, third lieutenant. Produced by the Oklahoma State University Library Generous support provided by The Coca-Cola Foundation, Atlanta, GA URL: http://digital.library.okstate.edu/kappler/ Comments to: lib-dig@okstate.edu Revised 3/19/08