Charles Marion Russell 1864-1926

Gerald Peters Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico
Acquired from the above, 1999

Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Glenbow Museum, Capturing Western Legends: Russell and Remington's Canadian Frontier, June-October 2004
Great Falls, Montana, C. M. Russell Museum, The Catalogue Raisonné Preview Exhibition, March-September, 2001

Very good condition, unlined; under UV: a few pindots to the upper center edge, otherwise fine.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The Battle of Belly River was the largest and last major conflict fought on Canadian soil between the Cree Nation and the Blackfoot Indian Confederacy. This historic battle took place in 1870 on the banks of the Belly River (now the Oldman River), within the province of Alberta, Canada.

The Blackfoot and Cree, nomadic tribes occupying adjacent territories, were longstanding enemies. The Blackfoot territory stretched from the North Saskatchewan River in Canada to the Yellowstone River in Montana. They were fierce warriors renowned for their great horsemanship skills. By the mid-19th century, the Blackfoot controlled a vast amount of territory stretching from northern Saskatchewan to the southernmost waters of the Missouri. The Cree occupied territory in Alberta as well as Montana, the Dakotas and Minnesota, ultimately spreading out as far east as the Hudson River. During the 17th and 18th centuries, as the Cree expanded their territory, they divided into two groups – the Woodland and the Plains. The Plains Cree, following the buffalo, moved from the forest into the plains. They were known as tough warriors who acquired guns and horses by bartering with French and English fur traders.

In late October of 1870, after a devastating outbreak of smallpox had depleted the mighty Blackfoot Nation, a Cree war party, determined to take advantage of the weakened tribe, came down from their Northern territory. A small advance party found the Blackfoot camp first but instead of waiting for backup, decided to attack. Word passed quickly to other Blackfoot camps in the area and tribesmen came from all over to assist their brothers in battle. After hours of fighting, the Blackfoot gained high ground forcing the Crees into retreat, killing hundreds as they fled. This famously brutal conflict, called the Battle at Belly River, was a decisive victory for the Blackfoot Confederacy.  Approximately one year after the battle, a formal peace treaty was signed between the two nations.

Charles Russell depicted bronco riders, ranch life, and round-ups but also spent much of his time among Native Americans developing a sense of compassion and understanding for their way of life and their efforts to preserve it.  Beginning in 1888 Russell lived in Canada with the Blood Indians, a branch of the Blackfoot tribe. By the time he painted The Battle of Belly River in 1905, he was back in Great Falls, Montana, well on his way to fame as a painter well versed in the ways of Indian life and culture. In The Battle of Belly River Russell portrays the climax of the infamous bloody conflict. The chaos of battle fills the composition with scores of warriors engaged in the fray. One tribesman dressed in full war paint, shotgun raised high, charges down into the canyon astride his white horse. The ground is strewn with fallen bodies and horses amid warriors running, firing guns, shooting arrows and throwing spears. The air is thick with dust and gunpowder. Russell uses a flesh-toned palette of pink, peach, rose and brown to capture the naturally dry, dusty atmosphere of the plains and clay colors of the canyon.

By the time The Battle at Belly River was painted, Russell was beginning to receive more attention from the press. He was described by one journalist in the Chicago Herald Tribune as "the greatest American artist". Another writer on assignment for Leslie's Magazine (later known as The American Magazine) reported in 1903, "He has a large heart and spreads it on the canvas in a way that makes his pictures breathe the incense of the prairie and glow with the tints that only a true Westerner could appreciate" (John Taliaferro, Charles M. Russell, 1996, p.139). In the fall of 1902 "Will Rogers, the artist's lifelong friend, called him the greatest storyteller who ever lived and many people agreed. 'In people, he loved Human nature. In stories, he loved Human interest'" (Rick Stewart, The American West, 1986, p.81).