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We regard Karl Bodmer’s 1832 – 1834 original watercolors of the American Indian to be the most important, beautiful and compelling images of the Plains Indians. We are proud to offer the exclusive, first-ever archival reproductions of his original watercolors.

At the beginning of his American journey, Karl Bodmer was a 23-year old Swiss artist who could not have imagined the new world he found himself exploring. With a heightened sense of awareness, an extraordinary eye for detail and a great gift for rendering on paper everything he saw – Bodmer gave us powerful portraits of the indigenous American nobility.

Mató-Tópe (“Four Bears”), the Mandan chief who is the subject of another portrait in which he is elaborately dressed, appears here as the painted warrior. The hand painted on his chest signifies that he has captured prisoners; the barred stripes on his right arm represent other combat deeds. The wooden knife he wears in his hair is a replica of one he took from a Cheyenne during particularly fierce hand-to-hand fighting.

Watch the VIDEO: Mató-Tópe, 19th Century Celebrity

"Real Bodmers aren't for sale, but stunning re-creations are." The Omaha World-Herald praised our "high-resolution, painstakingly detailed reproductions of eight of Bodmer's most famous watercolors". Read the complete article

Framing your Bodmers