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Update to time: News conference will be held at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024.
December 2, 2024
Bodmer artworks gifted to State Historical Society of North Dakota
News conference on Dec. 4
BISMARCK, N.D. — Twenty-six Karl Bodmer aquatints produced in 1839 were recently purchased by the State Historical Society of North Dakota Foundation, thanks to a $150,000 donation from Sam McQuade Jr., Bismarck, in memory of his wife, Maryvonne McQuade. The artworks have been gifted by the Foundation to the State Historical Society of North Dakota where they are now part of the permanent collection.
The aquatints are based on works created by Bodmer while accompanying Prince Maximilian on his 1832-34 expedition to the upper Missouri River. The expedition spent time at Fort Clark Trading Post, a state historic site located near Stanton. Significant portraits of Mandan chief Mato-Tope (Four Bears) and additional members of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara tribal nations are part of the collection. The gift also includes one McKenney and Hall lithograph titled “A Saukie Chief.”
“Photography wasn’t an option for the expedition, so these precious artworks provide an important glimpse into the clothing, landscapes, and lifestyles of this time,” said Dale Lennon, State Historical Society Foundation director.
"Maryvonne had an appreciation for fine art, and both of us were supportive of the work of the State Historical Society,” said McQuade. “I am honored to have these works added to their collections and look forward to what they can do with them, telling this part of North Dakota’s history.”
The art was stored in San Francisco, California, as part of the estate of Edson and Jane Gaylord. “My parents felt strongly about preserving this type of history, so we know they would be thrilled knowing it’s in North Dakota, where many of the images were captured,” said their son John Gaylord. Bismarck’s Masters Gallery, owned by Marci Narum and David Borlaug, facilitated this transaction.
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MEDIA AVISORY
Media are invited to a news conference to learn more about this donation as curators unveil a number of Bodmer’s works on Wednesday, Dec. 4, at 3:30 p.m. in the Great Plains Theater at the North Dakota Heritage Center & State Museum, Bismarck.
CONTACT
Kara Haff, Public Information Officer
701.328.3547
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