Dacotah Village 1849 - 1855

drawing, watercolor

landscape illustration sketch

drawing

toned paper

water colours

personal sketchbook

watercolor

coloured pencil

united-states

watercolour bleed

watercolour illustration

watercolor

warm toned green

environment sketch

Seth Eastman's watercolor, "Dacotah Village," offers a glimpse into the life of the Dakota people in the mid-19th century. Created between 1849 and 1855, the artwork depicts a village scene with thatched-roof dwellings, figures engaged in everyday activities, and a sense of community life. Eastman, a military officer and artist, captured the details of the Dakota people's traditional structures and daily routines, providing a valuable historical record of their culture and way of life. "Dacotah Village" is a testament to the importance of art as a tool for documenting and preserving cultural heritage.

Comments

minneapolisinstituteofart about 1 year ago

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The building supplies for these elm-bark lodges came from the Minnesota River Valley. The porches allowed for a bit of shade and, up top, a handy spot to dry animal skins. Settings like this are probably what convinced Captain Eastman he needed more earth tones. A receipt for paints ordered from New York dated April 11, 1842, lists tubes of “yellow ochre, Raw Sienna, Burnt Sienna, Raw umber,…Brown Ochre,” plus a red, blue, and blue-black. The total cost was $3.96. This watercolor, one of 35 works on paper by Eastman in Mia’s collection, was the basis for an illustration in Henry Rowe Schoolcraft’s massive "Historical and Statistical Information Respecting the History, Condition, and Prospects of the Indian Tribes of the United States" (Philadelphia: Lippincott, Grambo & Co., 1851-57).