Cree War Party 

Charles Russell created this watercolor of a Cree War Party, capturing a scene from the late 19th or early 20th century American West. Russell’s romanticized depictions of Native American life and the vanishing frontier were popular with Eastern audiences eager to consume images of the ‘Wild West’. But what is the public role of such art? Russell's images, while visually arresting, often sidestepped the harsh realities of reservation life and the devastating impact of westward expansion on indigenous communities. Instead, he presents a heroic vision of the past, one that often reinforces stereotypes and overlooks the complex social and political dynamics of the time. To understand the image, the politics of imagery, and social conditions that shaped artistic production, historians can turn to a variety of primary and secondary sources. Records from the Bureau of Indian Affairs, accounts from Native American oral histories, and contemporary newspaper articles can offer a more nuanced perspective.