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Description

A fine hand-colored engraving by Karl Bodmer. "Felsen Genannt die Citadelle am oberen Missouri," or "The Citadel-Rock on the Missouri," depicts a large, tall rock jutting up from a bend in the Missouri River in present-day Montana. The rock is surrounded by the river and is set against the backdrop of bluffs in the distance. A flock of birds is shown flying up the water.

This engraving is vignette plate XVIII from Bodmer's Reise in das innere Nord-America in den Jaren 1832 bis 1834 (Travels in the Interior of North America, 1832-34). This particular engraving is a detailed and accurate depiction of the Citadel-Rock on the Missouri River as it appeared during Bodmer's travels. It is a striking image that captures the natural beauty of this region. The present version conforms to Ruud's fifth state, reflecting a reworking of the plate by Lucas Weber, including additional birds in the background; and is actually a 20th-century restrike.

Maximilian’s monumental account first appeared in German (1839-41), followed by a French translation in 1840-43 and an English edition in 1843. The Paris-issued pictorial atlas contained eighty-one aquatint plates (48 "imperial" folios and 33 smaller "vignette" plates often called quarto in size), engraved and etched on metal sheets, after paintings by Karl Bodmer, and which accompanied all three editions. The plates are outstanding authentic depictions of the western plains and Native Americans by a highly skilled European artist. Bodmer avoided romanticizing his subjects, and attempted to record the people and places he encountered as true to life as possible.

The present print is a 1922 restrike done in Leipzig by Schmidt & Guenther, issued on thicker paper than the 19th-century examples.

Condition Description
Hand-colored engraved print. Some surface abrasion to the sheet (image unaffected). Overall very nice.
Reference
Ruud, Karl Bodmer's North American Prints, pages 282-284.