Page 85 - 4095-BOOK2

LOT 1080
Important Original Oil
Painting by Legendary
Western Artist Frederic S.
Remington of the Battle of
Washita Showing George
Armstrong Custer and the
U.S. 7th Cavalry in Their
Assault on Black Kettle’s
Village in November of 1868 - Frederic S. Remington (1861-1909)
is one of the most iconic of all American artists, especially those that
captured life in the American West. His talents were diverse and included
painting, illustrating, sculpting, and writing. He made his way to Montana
when he was just 19 in 1881. Remington remains among the most
influential artists in the shaping of the popular memory of the American
West, capturing it, as it was unfolding. His extensive body of work is
centered on the American West, with many pieces—such as the present
example—originally created as illustrations for period publications. While a
considerable portion of his oeuvre consists of more generalized portrayals
of quintessential Western themes, the work offered here is distinguished
by its depiction of a significant historical event involving one of the most
prominent figures in Western legend: General George Armstrong Custer.
Accordingly, this piece possesses exceptional historical relevance and
aesthetic appeal.
The painting was created in 1888, twenty years after the battle, as the basis
for Frederic Remington’s illustration in “A History of the United States and
Its People for the Use of Schools” and “The Household History of the United
States and Its People” by Edward Eggleston published by D. Appleton &
Company of New York in 1888 and 1889 and can be seen on page 367
and page 363 respectively. Eggleston was a noted historian and author
and was one of the organizers of the American Historical Association and
later its president. The illustration from “The Household History of the
United States” is also listed on pages 147-148 of “Frederic Remington, Artist
of the Old West with a Bibliographical Check List of Remington Pictures
and Books” by Harold McCracken from 1947. The painting can be seen
on page 114 work 216 of “Frederic Remington: A Catalogue Raisonne of
Paintings, Watercolors, and Drawings” by Peter H. Hassrick and Melissa J.
Webster from the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in 1996 where the painting
is described as “oil on academy board” and as measuring 18 1/2 inches by
24 1/2 inches. It is signed “Remington” in the bottom left. The note in the
book states: “This scene depicts General George Custer’s Seventh Cavalry
attacking a Cheyenne Village. Note the similar pose of the running Indian
in the foreground to that of Waneepah, 1888. This composition is similar
to that of The Battle of the Washita, drawn by Kappes and reproduced in
Frederick Whittaker, A Life of Major-General George A. Custer (Sheldon &
Co., 1876, first edition)
“A History of the United States and Its People for the Use of Schools” and
“The Household History of the United States and Its People” were written
as a textbooks for schools as well as home libraries; thus, this painting and
the illustration by Remington helped shape how Americans imagined the
Battle of Washita for generations and continues to be used to illustrate the
battle today. In the book, Eggleston wrote: “Though there were no horses
in America when the white men came, the Indians of the plains now have a
race of small ponies, acquired long ago from the early Spanish conquerors
of Mexico. The plains Indians fight on horseback, and are said to be ‘the
best light cavalry in the world.’ They were in the habit of committing their
outrages on the settlements in the summer, when there was grass for the
ponies. In the winter, when the ponies were almost starved, they took
shelter in remote valleys, and counted themselves safe from attack, on
account of the difficulty the white men found in moving wagon-trains. But,
in November, 1868, General Sheridan sent General Custer, after the snow
had fallen, to attack the hostile Indians in their villages. Custer, carrying his
provisions on mules, followed the trail of a war party, under the chief Black
Kettle, to their town on the Washita [wau’-she-taw] River, in the Indian
Territory, and fell upon the sleeping savages at daybreak, defeating them
with great slaughter. This battle terrified and subdued the Indians of the
Southern plains, who no longer felt safe from punishment in their winter
retreats. But, in a later war with the Sioux of the Northern plains in 1876,
Custer, having attacked a force outnumbering his own, was surrounded
and killed, with all the men under his immediate command. In this fight
the Sioux were led by Sitting Bull.”
The Battle of the Washita demonstrated Custer’s willingness to engage
in aggressive action to quickly overwhelm a “hostile” village without
fully assessing the larger situation and also highlighted one of the main
strategies to make such an attack successful: the quick capture of the non-
combatants to force the warriors to disengage. There is no question Custer
had the Washita on his mind, eight years later, on that faithful day in the
valley of the Little Bighorn.
It is with the utmost pleasure and reverence that we at Rock Island Auction
present this landmark work, which so eloquently unites two of the most
enduring and iconic figures of the American West: Lieutenant Colonel
George Armstrong Custer and the celebrated artist Frederic Remington
CONDITION: Excellent condition with distinct imagery, minor age and
storage related wear, and slightest restoration on the corners from
re-framing.
Provenance: Private Collection Cincinnati, Ohio; Kodner Gallery, St.
Louis, Missouri (Label verso); Private Collection Dallas, Teaxs.
Estimate: 225,000 - 350,000
It is with the utmost pleasure and reverence that we at
Rock Island Auction present this landmark work, which so
eloquently unites two of the most enduring and iconic
figures of the American West: Lieutenant Colonel
George Armstrong Custer and Frederic S. Remington
“The Household History of the
United States” pages 147-148.
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