Karl Bodmer

Herd of Bisons on the upper Missouri

In 1832, Bodmer was engaged by naturalist Prince Alexander Philipp Maximilian of Neuwied, Prussia (now in Germany), to accompany him on an excursion into the American West. Although Maximilian and Bodmer were not the first to explore the American West, their team was the first that combined a dedicated scientist with a skilled illustrator.

The result of their efforts, Travels in the Interior of North America 1832 to 1834, was published serially in between 1839-41, and included eight-one engraved etchings by Bodmer.

Herd of Bisons on the upper Missouri illustrates the evening of July 14, 1833, when the party, traveling from Fort Union on a small keelboat, witnessed a herd of buffalo coming to the river’s edge to drink. Bodmer deftly combines scientific detail with dramatic composition, recording the grazing habits of the animals against the backdrop of a radiant sunset.