![Original title: Description "Buccaroos" by Charles Marion Russell. Lithograph. Compare his 1899 (?) painting, "Herd Quitters". Date 1902(1902) Source The Library of Congress Author Charles Marion Russell (1864–1926) Alternative names Charles M. Russell, C.M. Russell, Charlie Russell, "Kid" Russell Description American painter Date of birth/death 1864(1864) 1926(1926) Location of birth/death Oak Hill, St. Louis, Missouri USA Great Falls, Montana, USA Permission (Reusing this file) Public domainPublic domainfalsefalse This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office) before January 1, 1923. Public domain works must be out of copyright in both the United States and in the source country of the work in order to be hosted on the Commons. If the work is not a U.S. work, the file must have an additional copyright tag indicati](/bioimages/w200.7402.jpg)
Source: Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
RUSSELL, CHARLES MARION, artist; b. 19 March 1864 in St Louis, Mo., son of Charles Silas Russell and Mary Elizabeth Mead; m. 9 Sept. 1896 Nancy Cooper (d. 1940) in Cascade, Mont., and they had one son; d. 24 Oct. 1926 in Great Falls, Mont.
Charlie Russell’s father was a partner in a brick manufacturing firm and the family was socially prominent. From an early age, the boy, who struggled in school, dreamed of going west to follow in the footsteps of his grandmother’s brothers Charles and William Bent, pioneer western fur traders. In 1880, just before his 16th birthday, his parents let him accompany a sheepman of their acquaintance to Montana Territory. After living with a professional meat hunter, “Kid” Russell in 1882 hired on as night herder on a trail drive to the Judith Basin in central Montana. Over the next 11 years (apart from 1888, when he summered in what is now Alberta), he wrangled horses and cattle during the spring and fall round-ups and gained a local reputation as an amusing story-teller with a knack for drawing the life around him. His 1887 watercolour Waiting for a chinook, showing a starving cow surrounded by wolves, summed up a devastating winter on the plains and brought him widespread recognition.
His first visit to Canada was a key event in Russell’s life. He rode north from Helena, Mont., with two friends in late May 1888. A job awaited one of them, Philip A. Weinard, who was to take up a position at a ranch southwest of Calgary. But Russell and his other companion, having missed the spring round-up, fished, hunted, and loafed the summer away on a ranch owned by Charles D. M. Blunt. Russell did a few paintings with supplies given him by Blunt and took the opportunity to acquaint himself with the native peoples of the area – Stoney, Sarcee, Blackfoot, Blood, and Peigan. Impressionable and eager to learn, he picked up the rudiments of sign language and absorbed tales of valour from times past. They left a permanent impression on his art, adding to his understanding of cowboy life an abiding interest in Plains Indian culture. Russell returned to Helena in September, leaving behind some sketches, a finished painting of a bear, and, most impressively, an ambitious oil that he gave to Blunt, Canadian mounted police bringing in Red Indian prisoners, recording an incident witnessed on the ride north in May. In later paintings and drawings he would honour the mounted police as symbols of justice on the Canadian frontier, a notable subject for an artist who ignored the United States army’s role in “winning the west” and sympathized with the Indians in their resistance to white advance.
After his return to Montana, Russell went back to night herding. But in 1893, convinced that the glory days of the open-range cattle industry were over, he turned to art for a living, settling in the town of Cascade, between Helena and Great Falls. There in 1895 he met Nancy (“Mame”) Cooper, a 17-year-old whom he married the following year. She proved to have a head for business and drive enough for both of them. They moved to Great Falls in 1897 and together made an impulsive trip north in 1903. Eager to see the last frontier of the northern gold rushes, they set out by train for “Fort Edmonton,” only to discover a modern city. Russell was able to sketch a dog train, and he subsequently painted a watercolour titled The winter packet (1903) and fashioned a wax group known as Transport to the northern lights (c. 1903–5). A more satisfying encounter with his romantic fantasies was provided in November 1908 and the following spring, when he first observed and then participated in two round-ups on Montana’s Flathead Reservation of the more than 700 buffalo purchased by the Canadian government for delivery to Alberta. The experience reinvigorated his interest in buffalo and buffalo hunts as artistic subjects.
By then Nancy Russell was her husband’s business manager. In 1904 she had persuaded him to make the first in a series of trips to New York. His paintings were already widely familiar through postcards and colour reproductions, and he had his first bronze cast that year. Commissions for illustrations and a major calendar contract followed, contributing to the view that, after Frederic Remington’s death in 1909, Russell was North America’s premier western artist, an opinion confirmed by a successful, one-man exhibition at New York’s Folsom Galleries in 1911. Titled The west that has passed, it perfectly conveyed his nostalgic vision of cowboys, Indians, and wildlife in an unfenced land.
The next year Russell exhibited at the first Calgary Stampede, which brought him international attention and new patrons for his art. The show was a great success – 13 of the 20 catalogued paintings sold, three featuring cowboys to Sir Henry Mill Pellatt* of Toronto and four depicting Indians to a titled Englishman – and Russell was back in 1913 to exhibit at a stampede in Winnipeg. Contacts made in Canada led to his only exhibition overseas, at London’s Doré Galleries in 1914. He had enjoyed Canadian patronage before. In 1897 William Bleasdell Cameron*, representing an American sportsman’s journal, had commissioned six drawings to illustrate his personal memoirs of two months’ captivity in the camp of Big Bear [Mistahimaskwa*] following the attack at Frog Lake (Alta) in 1885. Engineer Charles Alexander Magrath* of Lethbridge in 1905 persuaded Russell to paint an oil portraying a pitched battle between Blackfoot, Cree, and Assiniboin fought in the immediate vicinity in 1870 [see Jerry Potts*]. Ordinarily, Russell sold generic scenes of Indian and cowboy life to Canadian patrons such as Jimmy Simpson, a Banff outfitter and guide, and William B. Campbell, an Alberta rancher who met Russell at the Winnipeg Stampede in 1913. But after his success in Calgary, he added specifically Canadian content to his repertoire by painting four major mounted police oils, one each year between 1912 and 1915.
The “big four” who had backed the first Calgary Stampede – George Lane, Alfred Ernest Cross*, Patrick Burns*, and Archibald James McLean* – were all connected to the Alberta cattle industry, and Lane became a major patron. When the Russells were lured back to Canada in 1919 for exhibitions at Calgary’s “Victory Stampede” and in Saskatoon, Cross bought a cowboy subject, while Burns acquired one of the mounted police oils, Whiskey smugglers caught with the goods (1913), and Lane two others, The queen’s war hounds (1914) and When law dulls the edge of chance (1915). The former he eventually donated to the province of Alberta; the latter was presented to the Prince of Wales, who, on an extended Canadian tour, had purchased the ranch next to Lane’s Bar U. Rising prices in these years demonstrate Russell’s artistic success; by 1920 a single oil commanded $10,000.
His links to the Canadian west took many forms. Between 1906 and 1910 he co-owned a ranch in the Sweet Grass Hills, five miles south of the Canadian border, and often visited southern Alberta, counting many friends among the cattlemen in the area. The Russells wintered in California in 1920, but Russell was always most at home in Montana and Alberta among those who spoke his language. After he died in 1926, A. E. Cross expressed what Russell’s passing meant for western Canadians. “You have not only my entire sympathy,” he wrote to Nancy Russell, “but the sympathy of all the old cow men in this country.” His death would be “a distinct loss, not only to your own Community, the United States, but all the world.” Charles M. Russell is still universally known as the “cowboy artist.”
Private arch., Jim Combs (Great Falls, Mont.), Materials pertaining to C. M. Russell. Taylor Museum, Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center (Colorado Springs, Colo.), Helen and Homer E. Britzman Coll., C.7.159 (A. E. Cross to N. C. Russell, 30 Oct. 1926); E.189 bi (N. C. Russell’s annotated copy of Special exhibition: paintings by Charles M. Russell, at “The Stampede, Calgary, 1912”); E.346 (The west that has passed, exhibition catalogue, Folsom Galleries, New York, 1911). “An artist visitor,” Edmonton Bull., 25 Feb. 1903: [3]. Charlie Russell roundup: essays on America’s favorite cowboy artist, ed. B. W. Dippie (Helena, Mont., 1999). H. A. Dempsey, “Tracking C. M. Russell in Canada, 1888–1889,” Montana: the Magazine of Western Hist. (Helena), 39 (1989), no.3: 2–15. B. W. Dippie, “Charles M. Russell and the Canadian west,” Alberta Hist. (Calgary), 52 (2004), no.4: 4–26. [C. M. Russell], Charles M. Russell, word painter: letters, 1887–1926, ed. B. W. Dippie (Fort Worth, Tex., 1993). John Taliaferro, Charles M. Russell: the life and legend of America’s cowboy artist (Boston, 1996).
© 2005–2024 University of Toronto/Université Laval
Image Gallery
![Original title: Description "Buccaroos" by Charles Marion Russell. Lithograph. Compare his 1899 (?) painting, "Herd Quitters". Date 1902(1902) Source The Library of Congress Author Charles Marion Russell (1864–1926) Alternative names Charles M. Russell, C.M. Russell, Charlie Russell, "Kid" Russell Description American painter Date of birth/death 1864(1864) 1926(1926) Location of birth/death Oak Hill, St. Louis, Missouri USA Great Falls, Montana, USA Permission (Reusing this file) Public domainPublic domainfalsefalse This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office) before January 1, 1923. Public domain works must be out of copyright in both the United States and in the source country of the work in order to be hosted on the Commons. If the work is not a U.S. work, the file must have an additional copyright tag indicati](/bioimages/h100.7402.jpg)
![Original title: Description English: Charles Marion Russell - Buffalo Hunt Date 16 August 2009 Source http://masterpieceart.net/charles-marion-russell/ Author Wm M. Martin](/bioimages/h100.7403.jpg)
![Original title: Description English: "Lassoing A Steer," oil on board, by the American artist Charles Marion Russell. 18.5 in. x 24.5 in. Private collection. Date 1897(1897) Source The Atheneum [1] Author Charles Marion Russell (1864–1926) Alternative names Charles M. Russell, C.M. Russell, Charlie Russell, "Kid" Russell Description American painter Date of birth/death 1864(1864) 1926(1926) Location of birth/death Oak Hill, St. Louis, Missouri USA Great Falls, Montana, USA](/bioimages/h100.7404.jpg)
![Original title: Description Painting "Herd Quitters" Date 2003-12-13 (original upload date) Source Originally from en.wikipedia; description page is/was here. Author Charles Marion Russell (1864–1926) Alternative names Charles M. Russell, C.M. Russell, Charlie Russell, "Kid" Russell Description American painter Date of birth/death 1864(1864) 1926(1926) Location of birth/death Oak Hill, St. Louis, Missouri USA Great Falls, Montana, USA](/bioimages/h100.7405.jpg)
![Original title: Description English: Statue of Charles Marion Russell at NSHC Date Accessed January 26, 2007 Source http://www.aoc.gov/cc/art/nsh/russell.cfm Author John B. Weaver, sculptor](/bioimages/h100.7406.jpg)
![Original title: Description Charles Marion Russell (1864-1926) Montana Bronze by John B. Weaver Given in 1959 National Statuary Hall U.S. Capitol This official Architect of the Capitol photograph is being made available for educational, scholarly, news or personal purposes (not advertising or any other commercial use). When any of these images is used the photographic credit line should read “Architect of the Capitol.” These images may not be used in any way that would imply endorsement by the Architect of the Capitol or the United States Congress of a product, service or point of view. For more information visit www.aoc.gov. Date 20 October 2011, 15:38 Source Charles Marion Russell Statue Author USCapitol](/bioimages/h100.7407.jpg)
![Original title: Description English: "The Poker Game," oil on panel, by the American artist Charles M. Russell. 18 in. x 24 in. Yale University Art Gallery, gift of Virginia S. Newton in memory of her husband, James Quigg Newton, B.A. 1933, LL.B. 1936, member of the Yale Corporation 1951-55. Courtesy of Yale University, New Haven, Conn. Date 1894(1894) Source Yale University Art Gallery [1] Author Charles Marion Russell](/bioimages/h100.7408.jpg)
![Original title: Description English: Lost in a Snowstorm Date 1888(1888) Source Own work by Billy Hathorn 2-25-10 I took photo with Canon Camera. Author Charles Marion Russell (1864–1926) Alternative names Charles M. Russell, C.M. Russell, Charlie Russell, "Kid" Russell Description American painter Date of birth/death 1864(1864) 1926(1926) Location of birth/death Oak Hill, St. Louis, Missouri USA Great Falls, Montana, USA](/bioimages/h100.7409.jpg)
![Original title: Artist Charles Marion Russell (1864–1926) Alternative names Charles M. Russell, C.M. Russell, Charlie Russell, "Kid" Russell Description American painter Date of birth/death 1864(1864) 1926(1926) Location of birth/death Oak Hill, St. Louis, Missouri USA Great Falls, Montana, USA Title To The Victor Belongs The Spoils Date 1901(1901) Medium oil on canvas Dimensions 31.5 × 44.5 in (80 × 113 cm). Source/Photographer http://www.wildlifeart.org/ViewArtwork/index.php?tID=4 Permission (Reusing this file) This image is in the public domain.](/bioimages/h100.7410.jpg)
![Original title: Artist Charles Marion Russell (1864–1926) Alternative names Charles M. Russell, C.M. Russell, Charlie Russell, "Kid" Russell Description American painter Date of birth/death 1864(1864) 1926(1926) Location of birth/death Oak Hill, St. Louis, Missouri USA Great Falls, Montana, USA Title War Council on the Plains Date 1896(1896) Source/Photographer English: originally uploaded on en.wikipedia by Greenmountainboy at 2003-12-13 17:03. Filename was Russellwarcouncil.jpg. Deutsch: von Greenmountainboy ursprünglich auf en.wikipedia hochgeladen (2003-12-13 17:03). Der Dateiname war Russellwarcouncil.jpg. . Permission (Reusing this file) This image is in the public domain.](/bioimages/h100.7411.jpg)
![Original title: Description Russell Smoke of a .45, 1908, Amon Carter Museum, Fort Worth Date 1908(1908) Source Own work, Photo: User:FA2010, 2009-10 Author Charles Marion Russell (1864–1926) Alternative names Charles M. Russell, C.M. Russell, Charlie Russell, "Kid" Russell Description American painter Date of birth/death 1864(1864) 1926(1926) Location of birth/death Oak Hill, St. Louis, Missouri USA Great Falls, Montana, USA Permission (Reusing this file) The painting is in the Public Domain due to age. The photograph has been dedicated to the Public Domain by the photographer.](/bioimages/h100.7412.jpg)
![Original title: Description English: Detail of "Charles M. Russell and His Friends" Oil, 1922, C.M. Russell, Montana Historical Society MacKay Collection, Helena, MT Date 10 December 2011(2011-12-10) Source Uploader took photo at museum Author Charles Marion Russell (1864–1926) Alternative names Charles M. Russell, C.M. Russell, Charlie Russell, "Kid" Russell Description American painter Date of birth/death 1864(1864) 1926(1926) Location of birth/death Oak Hill, St. Louis, Missouri USA Great Falls, Montana, USA
This is a faithful photographic reproduction of an original two-dimensional work of art. The work of art itself is in the public domain for the following reason: Public domainPublic domainfalsefalse This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office) before January 1, 1923. Public domain works must be out of co](/bioimages/h100.7413.jpg)
![Original title: Waiting for a Chinook, also known as Last of the 5000. One of several depictions of the winter of 1886–87.](/bioimages/h100.10523.gif)
Cite This Article
Brian W. Dippie, “RUSSELL, CHARLES MARION,” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 15, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–, accessed July 1, 2024, http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/russell_charles_marion_15E.html.
The citation above shows the format for footnotes and endnotes according to the Chicago manual of style (16th edition). Information to be used in other citation formats:
Permalink: | http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/russell_charles_marion_15E.html |
Author of Article: | Brian W. Dippie |
Title of Article: | RUSSELL, CHARLES MARION |
Publication Name: | Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 15 |
Publisher: | University of Toronto/Université Laval |
Year of publication: | 2005 |
Year of revision: | 2005 |
Access Date: | July 1, 2024 |