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The Charles M. Russell Photograph Collection was part of a larger collection of Russell memorabilia (see Mss 1651). Both were obtained from Fred Rosenstock, along with other numerous small accessions that came to the BYU Library over many years. These kinds of materials were accumulated by Rosenstock in the course of his work as a book and art dealer. This collection was acquired by the BYU Library in 1982 (Accession #A82-131).
The copyright resides with the heirs and family of Charles M. Russell, as well as with the various photographers who took the pictures. 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. The collection is open for research use by any qualified scholar.
It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances.
Permission to publish material from Charles M. Russell Photograph Collection must be obtained from the Supervisor of Reference Services and/or the Special Collections Board of Curators.
"Russell, Charles Marion, artist, cowboy (Mar. 19, 1864-Oct. 24, 1926). Born at St. Louis, 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 observor
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 biographical sketch taken from Dan L. Thrapp,
These eight photographs--with one possible exception--apparently were once part of Russell's personal photograph collection. All are original prints except for two, which appear to be copies of prints. See the container list for further details about each photograph.
Photocopies of these prints were filed in the Russell Manuscript Collection (Mss 1651) and are incorporated into this short register for the convenience of the researcher.
1 photoprint, black and white; 11 x 16 cm. (4 x 6"). Subject: Nancy Russell seated on a fallen tree. Foreground contains "T-M-V-S" over ".17." "Nancy Russell" written on the back, n.d.
1 photoprint; black and white, 25 x 18 cm. (9 1/2 x 7"). Subject: Portrait of Charles M. Russell; side profile shot from Russell's right side. H.C. Eklund [photographer], Great Falls, Montana, n.d. Appears to be second generation print and to have been cropped from a 10 x 8.
1 photoprint; black and white, 28 x 22 cm. (11 x 8 1/2"). Subject: Charles M. Russell posed leaning against a wooden wall on a dock at Lake McDonald in Glacier National Park, Montana, with a motor launch in the background, n.d. One page description accompanying the photoprint states "this was the last full-length picture taken of Mr. Russell prior to his death."
1 photoprint; black and white, 21 x 26 cm. (8 x 10"). Subject: Russell and Will Rogers seated on what appears to be a street curb, n.d. Right foreground contains "Pub - 101." "Russell and Will Rogers" written on back.
1 photoprint; black and white, 18 x 25 cm. (7 1/4 x 10"). Subject: Charles M. Russell and unidentified man standing outside near a snowbank in front of some kind of structure such as a barn, n.d. An obvious second--and perhaps third--generation print which may also have been cropped.
1 photoprint; black and white, 12 x 18 cm. (5 x 7"). Subject: Fireplace in Russell's home, n.d. Right foreground inscription reads, "Thiri's - A.V.S." Has "CMR's fireplace 'Bull Head Lodge'" written on back along with, "With original pictures on it by CMR & other artist friends." Copyrighted by S.T. Printed on textured paper.
2 photoprints; black and white, 17 x 22 cm. (6 1/2 x 8 1/2"). Subject: Silent film actor Neal Hart in two motion picture scene stills, one with two women and a child and one with two men, n.d. 2 items, both inscribed, "To C.M. Russell, from Neal Hart."