Joseph Henry Sharp (1859 – 1953)
Fall Encampment (1905)
oil on canvas
16 × 24 inches
signed and dated lower right
VERSO
Label, Gerald Peters Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico
Label, Texas Art Gallery, Dallas, Texas
Sharp scholar Marie Atkins wrote, “Typically, the Sharps made a point to return to Montana by October, especially after Crow Fair, an agricultural celebration, was inaugurated in 1904. ‘I’ll be busy every daylight hour,’ Sharp wrote, ‘& up half the night at dances for next 10 days, as Indians are coming in fast for the big camp & fair next week.’
“The Indians set up tipis along the banks of the Little Big Horn River about half a mile from the agency and Sharp’s cabin. That was where Sharp habitually kept himself in October in order to capture traditional Indian life as Indians from other agencies came together. Many of them dressed in traditional clothing for the festivities, including dances and races. The Indians would parade across the ford and wind through the agency in their finery.”
PROVENANCE
Red McCombs Collection, San Antonio, Texas
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Condition
Surface is in good condition. Faint vertical bar mark on right side. Hairline cracks throughout sky, trees, and middle portion of the ground. No signs of restoration.