Today's Feature

Maximilian-Bodmer Expedition Exhibit.

News release.

Travels in the Interior of North America: The Maximilian-Bodmer Expedition, opening on September 2 at Powers Museum, 1617 West Oak in Carthage, MO, showcases over three dozen prints produced from exquisitely detailed drawings by Swiss artist Karl Bodmer. In 1832, Bodmer accompanied Prince Maximilian zu Wied, a respected German naturalist and scholar, on a two-year journey to explore and document the "natural face of North America," particularly the western wilderness. While Prince Maximilian was not the first to venture into the vast new frontier of the Louisiana Purchase, his journey is regarded as one of the most important of the early expeditions, as no previous exploration of North America combined the abilities of an experienced scientist with those of a talented artist.

The engravings in the exhibition were produced from the original 19th-century printing plates, which are owned by the Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha, Nebraska. Pulled on a hand-operated flat-bed press and then hand colored, the 20th-century edition has been made in the same fashion and to the same standards as the 19th century sets.

Prince Maximilian’s observations on the expedition, along with Bodmer’s illustrations, are still considered an important record for ecologists today. His landscapes recorded the western frontier so accurately that the landmarks - where they have not been altered by time or settlement - are identifiable today. His images of Native Americans are among the earliest and most important visual records of the Plains Indians.

The exhibit will be on view in the main gallery of the Powers Museum until October 3. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday afternoons from 1:30 to 4:30. In addition to the prints, two videos are available for viewing upon request to further enhance the exhibit and educational materials for homeschoolers and other organized groups are available for on-site use. Admission is free although donations will be accepted to help off-set the rental fee of this special display which marks a continuation of the museum’s special programming this year devoted to the Lewis & Clark bicentennial and western exploration.

Prince Maximilian and Karl Bodmer saw a transforming western frontier, and their observations are the foundation of much of our collective memory and understanding of that era. Travels in the Interior of North America: The Maximilian-Bodmer Expedition gives audiences the opportunity to see these extraordinary prints and gain an appreciation for both their artistic beauty and their value as historical and scientific documents.

The exhibition was curated by Marsha Gallagher, Chief Curator of the Joslyn Art Museum and organized and toured by Exhibits USA. For more information call 417-358-2667.

Typically, after a futile attempt, there would be some effort to hide the mark with a doodle or two, or a random line meant to cover the obvious.

‘Course these observations were at the relatively young age of under 10. Those attemptin’ to fool their parents or other classmates hadn’t yet grasped the real art form of hidin’ mistakes. One lesson was ta never use a red pencil.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

by

Carthage Printing

Here's A Tip

By JoAnn Derson

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