Landscape Painting, The Native Savage, and Manifest Destiny

Art has served a multitude of purposes throughout history: elevating the mind, conveying ideas, and evoking emotion. For 17^th century Americans living in the eastern U.S., artwork, painting in particular, became a manner of conveying information about the previously unexplored western territories of the country. Albert Bierstadt was one of these artists. In 1859, Bierstadt embarked on a government survey expedition in the west. The paintings he brought back with him were serene scenes of lush greenery, snowy jagged mountains, crystal clear water, and a bright, hopeful future.  

A common theme of Bierstadt’s paintings as well as others from this era is depictions of Native Americans. Some of these are tame and peaceful, and others portray the Native American as a violent savage, attacking the white man. The following series of paintings examines depictions of Native Americans in art of the mid-1800s and the impact these depictions have on Americans’ political and religious ideas of the West and their ideas of manifest destiny.

Albert Bierstadt, Rocky Mountains, Lander’s Peak, 1863

Oil on canvas, The Met, 07.123

In this tranquil scene of a native tribe nestled an a valley at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, villagers meander across the landscape, horses graze, and children play. The whole scene is focused around the waterfall cascading down into a crystal clear lake, a symbol of life for the tribe. The scene draws the viewer into an oasis, a place of beauty, security, and peace. The sun shines, the sky is blue, the grass grows green, the water trickles down, a place where God’s favor resides.

Albert Bierstadt, Yosemite Valley, 1866

Oil on Canvas, Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio

Again, in this painting the viewer is struck with a lush landscape, clear water bringing the sense of tranquility. The figures on the edge of the river provide a scale for the huge trees and enormous mountains surrounding them. This time, the people are not in a large tribe, but alone, perhaps sharing an intimate conversation as they gaze at their home. The sun filters through the clouds, illuminating the hills, a glimpse of God’s continued presence.

Albert Bierstadt, The Last of the Buffalo, 1888

Oil on canvas, National Gallery of Art, 2014.79.5

In this painting, the native begins to turn savage, killing “the last of the buffalo.” The figure in the middle is reared up on a horse, ready to strike a huge buffalo for the fourth or fifth time. Other men ride into the picture plane ready to strike more of the animals. The lush green scenery of Bierstadt’s other paintings is traded for and arid, dead landscape. Animal skulls and bones lie in the foreground, fading into bare mountains covered only with herds of buffalo. While the painting depicts an activity necessary for survival, it also pulls on elements of violence and danger in the native culture.

Charles Wimar, The Attack on an Emigrant Train, 1856.

Oil on canvas, The University of Michigan Museum of Art

This painting depicts a wagon train under attack by a band of natives. They rush in from the right side, wielding tomahawks and spears, ambushing the first wagon of the train. The travelers, out of self-preservation, are forced to fight back, using their more advanced weapons to kill their attackers. Here, the native is portrayed as an untamed predator, searching to prey on anything nearby. The white man is portrayed as a heroic figure, only fighting back when attacked and for the sake of protecting himself and his family.

John Mix Stanley, Osage Scalp Dance, 1845.

Oil on canvas, National Museum of American Art, Smithsonian Institution

John Stanley paints a scene full of native men, wielding weapons, and ready to attack the woman and child in the center of the painting. The faces of the men are completely stoic, un-phased by imminent event. The woman has her armed outstretched, a last effort to protect herself and her child from the wild men surrounding them. A spotlight shines on the white woman and child, leaving the natives in the dark, implying the white’s innocence and the guilt of natives.

George A. Crofutt, American Progress, 1873

Oil on Canvas, Autry Museum of the American West

George Crofutt’s well-known American Progress carries explicit political and religious agenda. The scene captures much of American history and progress. All the action moves from the right side of the painting to the left (or east to west). Trains, carriages, and wagons follow the glowing angel figure, leading the way (and stringing telephone poles, naturally). On the left side of the painting lies the great plains, where buffalo and natives run out of the picture plane, looking back at the angel and the land they once owned.  The angel stares straight ahead, driving out the darkness of native culture and bringing the light of American progress.