.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
Charles Marion Russell, known as a cowboy artist, is famous for his dramatic portrayals of life on open the frontiers of Montana. His images, derived directly from experiences he encountered on the open-range, were devoted particularly to the subject of Native Americans and the trials and often dangerous adventures of frontiersman. Outnumbered from 1898 is part of series of works that documented the nefarious trappers who populated the open prairie.
Frederick Renner writes: "The welcome that the Indians extended to early explorers and traders eventually wore thin as more and more whites invaded the Indians' land. The first big influx followed the creation of the great fur companies, whose employees and the free trappers who traded with them sought a fortune in beaver and other valuable furs. Even a heavily armed party of these resolute characters found it hazardous to get caught in the dreaded Blackfeet country." (Charles M. Russell, Paintings, Drawings and Sculpture in the Amon Carter Museum, Fort Worth, Texas, 1974, p. 136.) Renner further explains: "Free trappers with covetous eyes on beaver in the Blackfeet country employed either of two stratagems for safety. One was to go alone with a trusted companion, travel at night, and try to avoid being seen by the hostile Indians in the daytime. The other was to form a larger party of heavily armed men and depend on sheer numbers and fire power to withstand attack from any wandering party. There was danger in both methods. Even the larger parties usually had to make a run for it if they were caught in open country. If they could reach the timber, where they could fort up and hold off the attack, some of them might live to tell of their experience." (Charles M. Russell, p. 157)
By the end of the 19th century, Montana's open frontier was no longer, but Russell, in his works, maintains the much loved vision of The Old West. Outnumbered, capturing with great energy and drama a group of traders narrowly escaping the dangers of their attacking foe, offers a rarified glimpse into a memorable history of the Old West.
Frederick Renner writes: "The welcome that the Indians extended to early explorers and traders eventually wore thin as more and more whites invaded the Indians' land. The first big influx followed the creation of the great fur companies, whose employees and the free trappers who traded with them sought a fortune in beaver and other valuable furs. Even a heavily armed party of these resolute characters found it hazardous to get caught in the dreaded Blackfeet country." (Charles M. Russell, Paintings, Drawings and Sculpture in the Amon Carter Museum, Fort Worth, Texas, 1974, p. 136.) Renner further explains: "Free trappers with covetous eyes on beaver in the Blackfeet country employed either of two stratagems for safety. One was to go alone with a trusted companion, travel at night, and try to avoid being seen by the hostile Indians in the daytime. The other was to form a larger party of heavily armed men and depend on sheer numbers and fire power to withstand attack from any wandering party. There was danger in both methods. Even the larger parties usually had to make a run for it if they were caught in open country. If they could reach the timber, where they could fort up and hold off the attack, some of them might live to tell of their experience." (Charles M. Russell, p. 157)
By the end of the 19th century, Montana's open frontier was no longer, but Russell, in his works, maintains the much loved vision of The Old West. Outnumbered, capturing with great energy and drama a group of traders narrowly escaping the dangers of their attacking foe, offers a rarified glimpse into a memorable history of the Old West.