Charles Marion Russell

Charles Marion Russell, known as C. M. Russell or "Kid" Russell, was an American artist who lived from March 19, 1864, to October 24, 1926. He is famous for his paintings and sculptures that show life in the American Old West. Russell created more than 2,000 paintings of cowboys, Native Americans, and beautiful landscapes from the western United States and Alberta, Canada.

Russell was not only an artist but also a storyteller and writer. He cared deeply about Native Americans and helped support efforts to create a place for the landless Chippewa people in Montana. Because of his work, Congress passed a law in 1916 to create the Rocky Boy Reservation.

Today, many of Russell’s artworks are kept in museums, such as the C. M. Russell Museum Complex in Great Falls, Montana. His paintings are also found in other famous places like the Montana Historical Society in Helena, Montana and the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Wyoming. One of his paintings, called Piegans, sold for $5.6 million in 2005, showing just how much people value his work. In 1955, Russell was honored by being added to the Hall of Great Westerners in the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Childhood

Charles Marion Russell loved art from a very young age. Growing up in Missouri, he often sketched and made clay animals. He was fascinated by stories of the wild west and spent lots of time reading about it. Russell got to watch real explorers and traders when they visited Missouri. He learned to ride horses at Hazel Dell Farm near Jerseyville, Illinois, using a famous Civil War horse named Great Britain. His teacher was Col. William H. Fulkerson, who was related to Russell’s family. When he was sixteen, Russell left school and traveled to Montana to work on a sheep ranch.

Montana and the West

Charles Marion Russell left his sheep ranch to work with Jake Hoover, a hunter, trapper, and rancher who owned land in the Judith Basin in Central Montana. Russell learned a lot about life in the West from Hoover, and they remained friends for life. After visiting his family in Missouri in 1882, Russell returned to Montana and lived there for the rest of his life.

Russell worked as a cowboy and painted many scenes of the harsh winter of 1886–1887. One of his paintings, Waiting for a Chinook, showed a thin cow watched by wolves under a gray sky. This painting became well-known and led to more requests for his art. Starting in 1888, Russell lived with the Blood Indians, a group of the Blackfeet nation, and learned about their culture. He later settled in Great Falls, Montana in 1892 and began working full-time as an artist.

In 1896, Russell married Nancy, who was very helpful in showing his paintings to people all over the world. In 1913, he painted Wild Horse Hunters, showing people capturing wild horses. Russell's paintings of the Old West became popular and influenced many movies. He made many friends among famous people and other artists.

Depictions of Charles Marion Russell

Charles Marion Russell was shown in many ways by other artists and in photographs. One artist, A.O. Gregory, painted his portrait. Photos also capture Russell working in his studio in Great Falls, Montana.

There are statues of Russell, including one made by John Weaver. These statues can be found in places like the National Statuary Hall Collection and the Montana Historical Society. One of Russell’s paintings was even featured on a Montana U.S. Postage Stamp in 1989. He also created a self-portrait with a Christmas greeting in 1914.

Tributes

A collection of short stories called Trails Plowed Under was published a year after his death.

In 1960, Charles M. Russell Elementary School was built in Missoula, Montana. In 1965, a high school was built on the north side of the Missouri River in Great Falls, Montana and named Charles M. Russell High School, in honor of Russell. Ian Tyson's 1987 album, Cowboyography, includes a song titled "The Gift" telling the story of Russell. Michael Nesmith, of Monkees fame, recorded a song titled "Laugh Kills Lonesome" which was inspired by, and describes the contents of, a well-known Russell painting of the same name. Native Blackfeet folk singer Jack Gladstone wrote a song dedicated to Russell titled "When the Land Belonged to God." The song describes Russell's painting of the same name.

In 1985, Russell was inducted into the Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame in New York. In 1991, Russell was inducted into the St. Louis Walk of Fame.

Some of Russell's paintings were shown during the credits of the ABC television series How the West Was Won, starring James Arness. James McDowell Sr. of Tulsa, Oklahoma donated 24 volumes of his illustrations to the Western History Collections at the University of Oklahoma in 1997.

Russell was inducted into the inaugural class of the Montana Outdoor Hall of Fame in 2014. He is honored at the Stockmen's Memorial in Cochrane, Alberta, Canada.

The Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge is named for Russell, a World War II Liberty Ship, SS Charles M. Russell, was named in his honor and launched in 1943 in Portland, Oregon.

The Bull Head Lodge and Studio, located off Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park, was Russell's summer home, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Auction

Charles Marion Russell’s artwork has sold for very high prices over the years. In 2005, his painting Piegans sold for $5.6 million. In 2008, The Hold Up (20 Miles to Deadwood) sold for $5.2 million, and his bronze sculpture Buffalo Hunt sold for $4.1 million. In 2009, The Truce sold for $2.03 million.

In 2011, the prices for Russell’s work went even higher. Two of his paintings, Water for Camp and A Dangerous Sport, each sold for nearly $1.5 million. In 2014, a group of 30 pieces sold for several million dollars. One painting, Trail of the Iron Horse, sold for $1.9 million, and another, Dakota Chief, sold for $1.1 million. Even small pencil drawings sold for $25,000.

Notable works

See also: Paintings by Charles Marion Russell

Charles Marion Russell created many paintings and sculptures about life in the American West. His artwork showed both big historical moments and everyday scenes. Russell often showed events from the perspective of Native American people, which was different from most artists at the time. He was very careful to make sure the clothes and tools in his paintings looked real.

Some of Russell’s most famous paintings are about cowboy life, like Laugh Kills Lonesome and Bronc to Breakfast. He also made many works about Native American people, such as The Cryer and Buffalo Hunt. His paintings of women include both Native American women and women from the time period known as the Victorian era. Russell also painted important historical events, like the journey of Lewis and Clark and the Battle of the Little Bighorn, showing these events from the Native American viewpoint.