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The Charles M. Russell Collection materials were one of numerous small accessions (A82-131) that came to the Library from Fred Rosenstock over many years. They were accumulated by him in the course of his work as a book and art dealer.
The collection is open for research use by any qualified scholar.
The copyright resides with the heirs and family of Charles M. Russell, as well as with the various publishers of the materials. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Law, it is the responsibility of the user to determine copyright prior to publishing any item in the collection in its entirety.
Permission to publish material from Charles M. Russell Papers must be obtained from the Supervisor of Reference Services and/or the L. Tom Perry Special Collections Board of Curators.
"Russell, Charles Marion, artist, cowboy (Mar. 19, 1864-Oct. 24, 1926). Born at St. Louise, he was related to the Bents of fur trade fame. He made his first trip west in 1880, the same year Remington toured the wild country. Russell visited Helena and the Judith Basin, 200 miles distant, stopping briefly at a sheep ranch, then joined up with Jake Hoover, a back country prospector and hunter. He stayed with Hoover two years, roaming the wilderness and observing, learning and remembering. He returned to St. Louis in 1882, but came back to Montana in March, obtaining a job as a night-hawk in April for the 12 Z & V Ranch. He took part in the 1882 Judith roundup, one of the biggest in Montana until that time, eventually becoming a full-fledged cowboy. Indians, Blackfeet mostly, roamed the country and Russell came to know them, seeing too the last of the buffalo and other integral components of the harsh northern wilderness."
"He established a small place of his own in Pigeye Gulch, out of Utica. For about 11 years he drifted as a cowboy, hunter, and keen-eyed observer through the cow-and-Indian country, becoming locally famed as an artist of sorts, in watercolors and clay modeling. The summer of 1886 was very dry, the following winter a disastrous time with blizzards following one another, all but destroying the range industry. Russell worked with Jesse Phelps that winter. When the owner in Helena asked in early spring for a report on his stock, Charles sent his famous sketch of the lone steer surrounded by coyotes, with the legend, 'Waiting for a Chinook.' Someone added the line, 'Last of the 5,000,' and Russell's reputation was assured. The tiny picture has been preserved and is owned by the Historical Society of Montana at Helena."
"Russell wintered with the Bloods of Canada in 1888-89, then returned to Montana with a wagon freighting outfit.
"He married Nancy Cooper of Kentucky, 14 years his junior, September 9, 1896, and the following year moved from Cascade to Great Falls, where he established the studio where he would work the remainder of his life. Nancy quickly came to appreciate his unique talent. She persuaded him to reduce his drinking and by 1908 to end it, and with a sharp eye quickly caused him to place more value upon his work. After two trips to New York he was established as a major artist, if unique and specialized, and he held his first one-man show on Fifth Avenue in 1911. By 1920 he had reached the peak. He produced more than 2,600 pieces of preserved art work in all. His first Rawhide Rawlins book was published in 1921."
"He died of a heart attack following a goiter operation, and his body was conveyed to the cemetery in a hearse drawn by two black horses, as he had wished, driven by Ed Vance, an old-time stagecoach driver. Will Rogers remarked, 'He wasn't just 'Another Artist.' He wasn't 'just another anything...'"
This collection includes sale catalogs and circulars, exhibition announcements, prints of Russell's art works from publications and for promotional purposes, news and magazine articles and clippings, and miscellaneous memorabilia and mementos. The materials were collected by Fred Rosenstock in the course of his business as a book and art dealer in Denver, Colorado. For details on dates, locations, and publishers, see the container list.
The materials are arranged in the following order: Reproductions of Art Works, Exhibitions, Sales Catalogs and Circulars, Publications, Calendars, Newspaper and Magazine Articles, Mementos and Miscellaneous, and Photographs
The original photographs were transferred to the Photo Archives where they are available as Collection P-748. Photocopies of the originals are retained in this collection in fd. 8.
No originals were retained unless they contained color prints. photocopies only.