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According to Susan Labry Meyn, author of Henry Farny Paints the Far West, “By the time Henry Farny made his first trip west in 1881, the Indian peoples of the entire Great Plains region, from Texas into Canada, were already greatly impoverished, culturally as well as economically. These Native Americans had endured nearly a century of pernicious federal policy and more than forty years of punishing war with the U.S. military. The government’s objective was to either civilize or exterminate these proud and brave warriors.

“The Indian story that Farny usually chose to tell reflected the lifeways of these Indians during the glorious earlier days of traditional Plains life, when they had charged across the grasslands hunting buffalo prior to their confinement on remote reservations.… Throughout his life Farny knew about and was sympathetic to the Indian’s cause, yet his art rarely reflected their tragic situation. Because of the discrepancy between what he knew and what he chose to portray, Farny’s paintings and drawings of Indians are fascinating from an ethnological viewpoint.”

PROVENANCE:
Oklahoma Publishing Company, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Property from a Private Collection

EXHIBITIONS:
National Cowboy Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Condition ReportViewed through glass. Painting in excellent condition.

Important Notice: Statements of condition are provided as a service to potential bidders; such statements are educated opinions and should not be regarded as facts. The Coeur d’Alene Art Auction has no responsibility for any errors or omissions.