Works of Art

Russell heard many accounts of intertribal warfare between the Blackfeet, Sioux, and Crow that occurred earlier in the nineteenth century, before many white men came into their lands. Among the battles between the tribes in Montana, there was a bloody conflict as late as 1866, when the Piegan Blackfeet were said to have killed more than three hundred Crow and Gros Ventres near the Cypress Hills, exacting revenge for the murder of a prominent chief. Such conflicts usually involved a mounted charge into close combat, where warriors fought with bows, lances, clubs, and knives. In these battles, valor and victory were viewed by the protagonists as the sum of individual efforts. The painting shown here recounts a similar pitched battle between two groups.

Russell’s painting is notable for its unflinching violence and vivid action, as well as a wealth of detail—from the painted buffalo robe on the fallen horse to the decorative beadwork that adorns the primary figures. Northern plains tribes had acquired horses in the mid-eighteenth century, and Russell accurately depicts the short bows that permitted greater accuracy on horseback. Russell’s love of detail, however, ignores the fact that Indian warriors generally stripped down for battle. Objects such as the painted buffalo robe or fancy beadwork would certainly have been left behind.