Charles Marion Russell (March 19, 1864 – October 24, 1926), also known as C. M. Russell, Charlie Russell, and "Kid" Russell, was an American artist of the

American Old West The American frontier, also known as the Old West or the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that began with European colonial ...

. He created more than 2,000 paintings of cowboys, Native Americans, and landscapes set in the western United States and in Alberta, Canada, in addition to bronze sculptures. He is known as "the cowboy artist" and was also a storyteller and author. He became an advocate for Native Americans in the west, supporting the bid by landless Chippewa to have a reservation established for them in Montana. In 1916, Congress passed legislation to create the

Rocky Boy Reservation Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation (also known as Rocky Boy Reservation) is one of seven Native American reservations in the U.S. state of Montana. Established by an act of Congress on September 7, 1916, it was named after ''Ahsiniiwin'' ( Stone Ch ...

. The C. M. Russell Museum Complex in

Great Falls, Montana Great Falls is the third most populous city in the U.S. state of Montana and the county seat of Cascade County. The population was 60,442 according to the 2020 census. The city covers an area of and is the principal city of the Great Falls, M ...

houses more than 2,000 Russell artworks, personal objects, and artifacts. Other major collections are held at the Montana Historical Society in

Helena, Montana Helena (; ) is the capital city of Montana, United States, and the county seat of Lewis and Clark County. Helena was founded as a gold camp during the Montana gold rush, and established on October 30, 1864. Due to the gold rush, Helena would ...

, the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Wyoming, the Amon Carter Museum of American Art in

Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. According ...

, and the

Sid Richardson Museum The Sid Richardson Museum is located in historic Sundance Square in Fort Worth, Texas, and features permanent and special exhibitions of paintings by Frederic Remington and Charles M. Russell, as well as other late 19th and early 20th-century art ...

in Fort Worth. His mural ''Lewis and Clark Meeting the Flathead Indians'' hangs in the state capitol building in Helena, and his 1918 painting ''Piegans'' sold for $5.6 million at a 2005 auction. In 1955, he was inducted into the

Hall of Great Westerners The Hall of Great Westerners was established by the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in 1958. Located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S., the Hall was created to celebrate the contributions of more than 200 men and women of the American W ...

of the

National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is a museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, with more than 28,000 American West, Western and Native Americans in the United States, American Indian art works and Artifact (archaeology), ar ...

Childhood

Art was always a part of Russell's life. Growing up in

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

, he drew sketches and made clay figures of animals. Russell had an intense interest in the "wild west" and would spend hours reading about it. Russell would watch explorers and fur traders who frequently came through Missouri. He learned to ride horses at Hazel Dell Farm near Jerseyville, Illinois, on a famous Civil War horse named Great Britain. Russell's instructor was Col. William H. Fulkerson, who had married into the Russell family. At the age of sixteen, Russell left school and went to

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...

to work on a sheep ranch.

Montana and the West

Russell left the sheep ranch and found work with Jake Hoover, a hunter and trapper who had become a rancher. He owned land in the Judith Basin. Russell learned much about the ways of the West from him, and the two men remained lifelong friends. After a brief visit in 1882 to his family in Missouri, Russell returned to Montana, and lived and worked there for the remainder of his life. He worked as a cowboy for a number of outfits, and documented the harsh winter of 1886–1887 in a number of watercolors. Russell was working on the O-H Ranch in the Judith Basin of Central Montana at the time. The ranch foreman received a letter from the owner, asking how the cattle herd had weathered the winter. In reply, the foreman sent a postcard-sized watercolor that Russell had painted of a gaunt steer being watched by wolves under a gray winter sky. The ranch owner showed the postcard to friends and business acquaintances, and eventually displayed it in a shop window in

. After this, the artist began to receive commissions for new work. Russell's caption on the sketch, ''Waiting for a Chinook'', became the title of the watercolor. Russell later painted a more detailed version of the scene which became one of his best-known works. Beginning in 1888, Russell spent a period living with the

Blood Indians The Kainai Nation (or , or Blood Tribe) ( bla, Káínaa) is a First Nations band government in southern Alberta, Canada, with a population of 12,800 members in 2015, up from 11,791 in December 2013. translates directly to 'many chief' (fro ...

, a branch of the Blackfeet nation. Scholars believe that he gained much of his intimate knowledge of Native American culture during this period. When he returned to the Judith Basin in 1889, he found it filling with settlers. He worked in more open places for a couple of years before settling in the area of

, in 1892. There he worked to make a living as a full-time artist. In 1896, Russell married his wife Nancy. He was 32 and she was 18. In 1897, they moved from the small community of

Cascade, Montana Cascade is a town in Cascade County, Montana, United States. The population was 600 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Great Falls, Montana Metropolitan Statistical Area, which in 2020 had a population of 84,414. Cascade was incorporated in ...

to the bustling county seat of Great Falls. Russell spent the majority of the remainder of his life there. He continued with his art, becoming a local celebrity and gaining the acclaim of critics worldwide. As Russell was not skilled in marketing his work, Nancy is generally given credit for making him an internationally known artist. She set up many shows for Russell throughout the United States and in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, creating many followers of Russell. In 1912 he joined cowboy artist

Frank Tenney Johnson Frank Tenney Johnson (June 26, 1874 – January 1, 1939) was a painter of the Old American West, and he popularized a style of painting cowboys which became known as "The Johnson Moonlight Technique". ''Somewhere on the Range'' is an examp ...

on a sketching expedition to the Blackfoot Reservation east of Glacier National Park in

In 1913, Russell painted ''Wild Horse Hunters'', which depicts riders capturing wild horses, each band of which is dominated by a stallion. He used as much color as an artist could on his mountain landscapes. As an artist, Russell emerged at a time when the Wild West was of intense interest to people who lived in cities, and cattle drives were still being conducted over long distances. He painted images of the Old West that were later adopted by Westerns, which became a movie staple. Russell was fond of these popular art forms and made many friends among the well-off collectors of his works, including actors and film makers such as

William S. Hart William Surrey Hart (December 6, 1864 – June 23, 1946) was an American silent film actor, screenwriter, director and producer. He is remembered as a foremost Western star of the silent era who "imbued all of his characters with honor and integ ...

Harry Carey Harry Carey may refer to: *Harry Carey (actor) (1878–1947), American actor * Harry Carey Jr. (1921–2012), American actor * Harry Carey (footballer) (1916–1991), Australian rules footballer See also * Henry Carey (disambiguation) * Harry Car ...

Will Rogers William Penn Adair Rogers (November 4, 1879 – August 15, 1935) was an American vaudeville performer, actor, and humorous social commentator. He was born as a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, in the Indian Territory (now part of Oklahoma ...

, and Douglas Fairbanks. Russell also kept up with fellow artists of the West, including painter

Edgar Samuel Paxson Edgar Samuel Paxson (April 25, 1852 – November 9, 1919) was an American frontier painter, scout, soldier and writer, based mainly in Montana. He is best known for his portraits of Native Americans in the Old West and for his depiction of the ...

, painter Edward "Ed" Borein and Will Crawford the illustrator. On the day of Russell's funeral in 1926, the children in Great Falls were released from school so they could watch the funeral procession. Russell's coffin was displayed in a glass-sided coach, pulled by four black horses.Taliaferro, Joh
''Charles M. Russell: The Life and Legend of America's Cowboy Artist''
University of Oklahoma Press, 2003 p. 264 Russell produced about 4000 works of art, including oil and watercolor paintings, drawings and sculptures in wax, clay, plaster and other materials, some of which were also cast in bronze.

Depictions of Charles Marion Russell

File:Charles M. Russell.jpg, Portrait by A.O. Gregory File:MVI 2799 Russell in studio at Amon Carter Museum.jpg, Russell working in his studio in

Great Falls Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements * Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size * Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent People * List of people known as "the Great" *Artel Great (born ...

, Montana File:CMR MacKay.jpg, C. M. Russell statue by John Weaver; Identical statues are held in the

National Statuary Hall Collection The National Statuary Hall Collection in the United States Capitol is composed of statues donated by individual states to honor persons notable in their history. Limited to two statues per state, the collection was originally set up in the old ...

and by the Montana Historical Society. File:CMR and Friends.jpg, ''C. M. Russell and his friends''. A detail of the picture was used for a Montana

U.S. Postage Stamp Postal service in the United States began with the delivery of stampless letters whose cost was borne by the receiving person, later encompassed pre-paid letters carried by private mail carriers and provisional post offices, and culminated in a ...

in 1989. File:CMR Xmas greeting.jpg, Self-portrait with Christmas greeting, 1914

Tributes

Charles M Russell Log Cabin Studio - Great Falls Montana - September 1976

A collection of short stories called ''Trails Plowed Under'' was published a year after his death. Charles Marion Russell - The Tenderfoot (1900)

In 1960, Charles M. Russell Elementary School was built in Missoula, Montana. In 1965, a high school was built on the north side of the Missouri River in

and named

Charles M. Russell High School Charles M. Russell High School (also known as CMR) is a public high school in Great Falls, Montana, in the United States. It is part of the Great Falls Public Schools system. It is one of two public high schools in the city, the other being Gre ...

, in honor of Russell. Ian Tyson's 1987 album, ''Cowboyography'', includes a song titled "The Gift" telling the story of Russell. Michael Nesmith, of Monkees fame, recorded a song titled "Laugh Kills Lonesome" which was inspired by, and describes the contents of, a well-known Russell painting of the same name. Native Blackfeet folk singer Jack Gladstone wrote a song dedicated to Russell titled "When the Land Belonged to God." The song describes Russell's painting of the same name. In 1985, Russell was inducted into the Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame in New York. In 1991, Russell was inducted into the St. Louis Walk of Fame. Russell Meat for Wild Men Amon Carter Museum

Russell Meat for Wild Men Amon Carter Museum

Some of Russell's paintings were shown during the credits of the

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

television series '' How the West Was Won'', starring

James Arness James Arness (born James King Aurness; May 26, 1923 – June 3, 2011) was an American actor, best known for portraying Marshal Matt Dillon for 20 years in the CBS television series '' Gunsmoke''. Arness has the distinction of having played the ...

. James McDowell Sr. of Tulsa, Oklahoma donated 24 volumes of his illustrations to the Western History Collections at the University of Oklahoma in 1997. Russell was inducted into the inaugural class of the Montana Outdoor Hall of Fame in 2014. He is honored at the Stockmen's Memorial in Cochrane, Alberta, Canada. The

Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge The Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge (abbreviated as the CMR NWR) is a National Wildlife Refuge in the U.S. state of Montana on the Missouri River. The refuge surrounds Fort Peck Reservoir and is in size.U.S. Fish and Wildlife Servi ...

is named for Russell, a World War II Liberty Ship, ''SS Charles M. Russell'', was named in his honor and launched in 1943 in

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

, Oregon. The

Bull Head Lodge and Studio Bull Head Lodge and Studio, located off Going-to-the-Sun Road near Apgar, Montana, Apgar in Flathead County, Montana was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. The lodge and studio are two contributing buildings, contributing ...

, located off

Going-to-the-Sun Road Going-to-the-Sun Road is a scenic mountain road in the Rocky Mountains of the western United States, in Glacier National Park in Montana. The Sun Road, as it is sometimes abbreviated in National Park Service documents, is the only road that trave ...

in Glacier National Park, was Russell's summer home, and is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

Auction

Russell's ''Piegans'' sold in 2005 for $5.6 million, more than double the highest price his work had sold for a few years earlier.Griffith, Martin. "Bierstadt, Russell Paintings Fetch Millions at Reno Auction." ''Great Falls Tribune.'' July 26, 2011. At auction in 2008, Russell's oil painting ''The Hold Up (20 Miles to Deadwood)'' sold for $5.2 million, and his bronze sculpture ''Buffalo Hunt'' (which depicted two Native Americans attacking a running bison) sold for $4.1 million. In July 2009, Russell's 1907 watercolor and gouache ''The Truce'' went for $2.03 million to an anonymous phone bidder. Russell's 1911 by bronze sculpture, ''Bronc Twister'', auctioned in 2008 for $805,000—far above the $300,000 pre-auction estimate. In July 2011, the price of Russell's work soared again. His 1892 oil painting ''Water for Camp'' (depicting Native American women dipping pots into a stream) and his 1924 watercolor ''A Dangerous Sport'' (in which two cowboys lasso a mountain lion) sold for nearly $1.5 million each. A collection of 30 pieces of Russell's art were sold for several million dollars at the Coeur d'Alene Art Auction (held in

Reno, Nevada Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is the ...

) in July 2014, setting new records for many pieces. Russell's ''Trail of the Iron Horse'' watercolor (depicting a group of horseback Native Americans contemplating railroad track) sold for $1.9 million, while ''Dakota Chief'' (which depicts a young Lakota chieftain on horseback) was auctioned for $1.1 million (almost double the last price it commanded). Even small pencil sketches sold for $25,000.

Notable works

Charles Marion Russell - Buccaroos (1902)

Russell's works comprised a wide variety of topics, including major historical events and everyday life in the west. His work was noted for the frequency with which he portrayed well-known events from the point of view of Native American people instead of the non-Native viewpoint. He was noted for a keen eye on the social undercurrents of society and the meticulous authenticity with which he portrayed the clothing and equipment of both cowboys and Native people. Historians studying women's roles in the West have critiqued Russell's portrayal of women. They note the contrasting levels of sensuality in his depictions of white and native women, as he seemed to transfer sexuality from white to Native women, so as to conform to the moral standards and perceptions of women in his time. Most of Russell's portrayals of white women are shown as "pure" and non-sexual, other than those paintings specifically depicting prostitutes. In contrast, his series of five ''Keeoma'' paintings and related images show a sensual native woman. They are documented by the statement that Keeoma was a real woman whom Russell had loved. Photographs exist that show the body model for these images was Russell's wife, Nancy. Critics say that by serving as a model, she could express her sexuality in a way generally not allowed "decent" white women of the time.

Timothy Egan Timothy P. Egan (born November 8, 1954) is an American author, journalist and op-ed columnist for ''The New York Times'', writing from a liberal perspective. Egan has written nine books. His first, ''The Good Rain'', won the Pacific Northwest B ...

, in his 1998 book ''Lasso the Wind'', quotes Russell as saying, "In my book a pioneer is a man who turned all the grass upside down, strung bob-wire over the dust that was left, poisoned the water, cut down the trees, killed the Indian who owned the land and called it progress."

Cowboy life

File:LaughKillsLonesome.jpg, ''Laugh Kills Lonesome'', oil on canvas, 1925. Along with ''Bronc to Breakfast'' and ''In Without Knocking'', arguably the most famous of Russell's "cowboy" paintings. File:Bronc Breakfast web.jpg, ''Bronc to Breakfast'', oil, 1908 File:Charles_Marion_Russell_–_In_Without_Knocking_–_Google_Art_Project.jpg, ''In Without Knocking'' 1909 File:Russell Loops and Swift Horses are Surer than Lead 1916.jpg, ''Loops and Swift Horses are Surer than Lead'', 1916 File:HerdQuit.jpg, ''The Herd Quitter'' File:Roundup2CMR.jpg, ''Roundup #2'', oil 1913 File:Cowpunching Sometimes Spells Trouble.jpg, ''Cowpunching Sometimes Spells Trouble'', 1889, Oil on canvas,

, Fort Worth, Texas File:When Cowboys Get in Trouble (The Mad Cow).jpg, ''When Cowboys Get in Trouble (The Mad Cow)'', 1899, Oil on canvas,

, Fort Worth, Texas

Native Americans

File:Russell charles marion-the cryer.jpg, ''The Cryer'', bronze sculpture File:Charles Marion Russell - Cree Indian.jpg, ''Cree Indian'' File:CM Russell The Scouts.jpeg, ''The Scouts'' File:CM_Russell_When_Blackfoot_And_Sioux_Meet.jpeg, ''When Blackfoot and Sioux Meet'' File:Charles Marion Russell - Buffalo Hunt.jpg, ''Buffalo Hunt'' File:The Marriage Ceremony (Indian Love Call).jpg, ''The Marriage Ceremony (Indian Love Call)'', 1894, Oil on cardboard,

, Fort Worth, Texas File:Bringing Up the Trail.jpg, ''Bringing Up the Trail'', 1895, Oil on canvas,

, Fort Worth, Texas File:Maney Snows Have Fallen...(Letter from Ah-Wa-Cous (Charles Russell) to Short Bull).jpg, ''Maney Snows Have Fallen...(Letter from Ah-Wa-Cous (Charles Russell) to Short Bull)'', ca.1909 - 1910, Watercolor, pen & ink on paper,

, Fort Worth, Texas

Women

File:Charles M. Russell, Water for Camp.jpg, ''Water for Camp'', depicting the everyday life of Native American women File:Keeoma3.jpg, ''Keeoma #3'', one of five "Keeoma" paintings of sensual Native women (body model was his wife Nancy) File:Charles Marion Russell - Waiting and Mad.jpg, ''Waiting and Mad'', not an official "Keeoma" painting, but sometimes considered part of the series File:Lolly, by Charles Marion Russell.jpg, ''Lolly'', showing a young

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literature ...

woman File:Russellrodeocowgirlonabuckinghorse.gif, ''Rodeo

cowgirl A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the '' vaquer ...

Other

File:Camp Cook's Troubles by Charles Marion Russell.jpg, ''Camp Cook's Troubles'' File:Blackfeet Burning Crow Buffalo Range.jpg, ''Burning Crow Buffalo Range'' File:Utica (A Quiet day in Utica).jpg, ''Utica (A Quiet day in Utica)'', 1907https://www.sidrichardsonmuseum.org , ''Utica'', oil on canvas,

, Fort Worth, Texas File:Deer in Forest (White Tailed Deer).jpg, ''Deer in Forest (White Tailed Deer)'', 1917, Oil on canvasboard File:Chinook2.gif, ''Waiting for a Chinook'', also known as ''Last of the 5000''. One of several depictions of the winter of 1886–87 File:Flying hoofs - Charles M Russell (1894).jpg, ''Flying hoofs'', 1894 File:To The Victor Belongs The Spoils by Charles Marion Russell.jpg, ''To The Victor Belongs The Spoils''

Historical events

File:Indians DiscoveringLC.jpg, ''The Indians discovering Lewis and Clark''. Russell depicted various stages of the

Lewis and Clark Expedition The Lewis and Clark Expedition, also known as the Corps of Discovery Expedition, was the United States expedition to cross the newly acquired western portion of the country after the Louisiana Purchase. The Corps of Discovery was a select gro ...

in a number of works. File:Lewis_and_clark-expedition.jpg, ''Lewis and Clark on the Lower Columbia''. File:Charles Marion Russell - The Custer Fight (1903).jpg, ''The Custer Fight'' (

lithograph Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It was invented in 1796 by the German a ...

, 1903). Depicts the

Battle of the Little Bighorn The Battle of the Little Bighorn, known to the Lakota and other Plains Indians as the Battle of the Greasy Grass, and also commonly referred to as Custer's Last Stand, was an armed engagement between combined forces of the Lakota Sioux, Nor ...

from the point of view of the Native American combatants.

References

External links

Official Museum site

Sid Richardson Museum
include
biography

charlesmarionrussell.org
164 works by Charles Marion Russell
Gallery at MuseumSyndicate

* * *
''Charles M. Russell, Cowboy Artist''
by Wallace D. Coburn, ''National Magazine'', June, 1905 (with photos)

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20081204070834/http://store.worldbronzes.com/statues.html Charles M. Russell Statues
Montana Historical Society Mackay Gallery of Russell Art
{{DEFAULTSORT:Russell, Charles Marion * 1864 births 1926 deaths 19th-century American painters 20th-century American painters Artists of the American West Artists from St. Louis American frontier painters American male painters Cowboys Montana articles lacking sources Orientalist painters People from Great Falls, Montana People from Cascade, Montana 19th-century American male artists Artists from Montana 20th-century American male artists