Indian Sugar Camp 1849 - 1855

drawing, watercolor

drawing

abstract painting

possibly oil pastel

handmade artwork painting

watercolor

fluid art

coffee painting

united-states

watercolour bleed

watercolour illustration

botanical art

watercolor

warm toned green

"Indian Sugar Camp" is a watercolor painting created by Seth Eastman between 1849 and 1855. The work depicts a group of Native Americans engaged in the traditional process of maple sugaring, a practice common to many Indigenous cultures in North America. Eastman, an officer in the U.S. Army, served in the American West and was known for his detailed illustrations of Native American life. His depiction of the "Indian Sugar Camp" offers a glimpse into a specific aspect of their traditional practices, highlighting the connection between Indigenous peoples and their environment.

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minneapolisinstituteofart about 1 year ago

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Seth Eastman may have observed this scene on Nicollet Island, in present-day Minneapolis, which was covered in maple trees and home to several sugar camps. He depicts the hard work required to transform maple sap into sugar: chopping, pouring, hauling, stirring. There was also tasting -- including by a naked baby! A detail at left shows sap dripping into a container, the first step before it heads to the kettles for boiling into syrup. This is evidently the first time this activity was recorded by a non-Native person. 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).