The Buffalo Dance
- Date
- 1860
- Material
- Oil on canvas
- made in
- United States, North and Central America
- Classification
- Paintings
- Collection
- American Art
- Current Location
- Not on view
- Dimensions
- 25 1/2 × 47 3/4 in. (64.8 × 121.3 cm)
framed: 35 in. × 58 7/8 in. × 6 in. (88.9 × 149.5 × 15.2 cm) - Credit Line
- Gift of Mrs. John T. Davis
- Rights
- Public Domain
- Object Number
- 164:1946
NOTES
Illuminated by the crimson glow of a fire, Mandan (Namakiki) men perform a complex dance to ensure a successful buffalo hunt. An attentive audience has gathered, and some have climbed the surrounding structures to get a better view of the ceremony. In the late 1850s, Charles Ferdinand Wimar travelled along the Missouri River, taking photographs and making sketches of Native American communities living on the Plains. He used these images, along with artifacts collected during his travels, to compose his paintings.
Provenance
William Lucas [1]
by 1908 -1946
John T. Davis, Mrs. John T. Davis, and John T. Davis Jr. [2]
1946 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, gift of Mrs. John T. Davis [3]
Notes:
[1] A 1946 catalog names William Lucas, John T. Davis, and John T. Davis Jr. as previous owners of the painting [Rathbone, Perry. "Charles Wimar 1828-1862: Painter of the Indian Frontier." "Bulletin of the City Art Museum" 31, no. 2-3 (October - November 1946): no. 25].
[2] Mrs. John T. Davis lent the painting to a 1908 exhibition [Hodges, William R. and Charles Reymershoffer. "Carl Wimar: A Biography." Galveston, TX: Charles Reymershoffer, 1908, p. 34]. She also had the painting cleaned along with the rest of her collection around 1931 [undated note, SLAM document files]. It is unclear which John T. Davis she was married to.
[3] Minutes of the Administrative Board of Control of the City Art Museum, June 5, 1946.
by 1908 -1946
John T. Davis, Mrs. John T. Davis, and John T. Davis Jr. [2]
1946 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, gift of Mrs. John T. Davis [3]
Notes:
[1] A 1946 catalog names William Lucas, John T. Davis, and John T. Davis Jr. as previous owners of the painting [Rathbone, Perry. "Charles Wimar 1828-1862: Painter of the Indian Frontier." "Bulletin of the City Art Museum" 31, no. 2-3 (October - November 1946): no. 25].
[2] Mrs. John T. Davis lent the painting to a 1908 exhibition [Hodges, William R. and Charles Reymershoffer. "Carl Wimar: A Biography." Galveston, TX: Charles Reymershoffer, 1908, p. 34]. She also had the painting cleaned along with the rest of her collection around 1931 [undated note, SLAM document files]. It is unclear which John T. Davis she was married to.
[3] Minutes of the Administrative Board of Control of the City Art Museum, June 5, 1946.
We regularly update records, which may be incomplete. If you have additional information, please contact us at provenance@slam.org.