Indian Fight, #1 1898

Charles M. Russell created this oil painting, “Indian Fight, #1,” depicting a skirmish on the American frontier. The visual codes used in this painting must be read in the context of its time: the late 19th and early 20th centuries. As museums and galleries grew in influence, artists were often encouraged to cater to a specific audience. Here, the glorification of conquest aligned with the period’s dominant political ideologies, like Manifest Destiny, the idea that white Americans were destined to expand across the continent. This was a time of intense conflict and displacement for Native American communities, and paintings like these often served to reinforce those power dynamics. To understand this artwork better, you could research government policies on indigenous populations during Russell’s lifetime. You might also examine the artist’s biography to uncover his personal views. By exploring the social and institutional history surrounding this image, we can better understand its historical significance and enduring power.