The Old Print Shop

Mundung Des Fox-River. (Indiana) Tab. V. (Mouth of Fox River)

  • ARTIST: Karl Bodmer

  • PUBLISHER: Published by Ackermann & Co., London.

  • MEDIUM: Mixed media, aquatint, engraving, etching and roulette.

    DATE: 1839-44.

  • EDITION SIZE: Image size 12 x 17 1/4" (302 x 438 mm) plus title and margins.

  • DESCRIPTION: This scene depicts a beautiful woodland-marsh scene shown at the Confluence of the Fox and Wabash Rivers in Indiana. Bodmer made at least two watercolors of this scene, one is in the collections at the Joslyn Art Museum the other is in the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Of particular note, shown sitting in the branches of the nearest tree are a number of Carolina Parrots, which are now extinct Sitting on a vine is a Bald Eagle which was not in either of the original watercolors. Bodmer added into the engraved plate to add life. This print appeared in "Travels in The Interior of North America" by Maximilian, Prince of Wied-Neuwied. In 1832, the German prince, Maximilian of Wied, organized an expedition to explore the region along the Missouri River. He was accompanied by Karl Bodmer, a young Swiss artist, who recorded in pictorial form all he observed. Following the Lewis & Clark trail up the Missouri River, they traveled 5,000 miles during the course of a year. Maximilian kept detailed notes on a day-by-day basis for his book, which was published c.1839-44 in Coblenz and London. Karl Bodmer's landscapes, portraits, and splendid scenes of Indian life are regarded today as the finest picture histories of the western frontier at that time. Engraved by Sigismond Himley, printed by Finot & Bougeard. An impression of the first state, lacking Ackerman imprint and English subtitle.

  • ADDITIONAL INFO:

  • CONDITION: Good condition, save for a mat line. Modern hand-coloring.

  • REFERENCE: Ruud, B. Karl Bodmer's North American Prints." pp 98-100