The Fountain, No 10 The Wounded Indian Slaking His Death Thirst 1843

Thomas Cole made this pencil drawing, "The Fountain, No 10 The Wounded Indian Slaking His Death Thirst," in the 19th century. Cole was part of the Hudson River School, known for its romantic depictions of the American landscape. The medium of pencil is key here. It allowed Cole to rapidly capture the scene, emphasizing the texture of bark, foliage, and rock. The softness of the graphite lends itself to rendering a scene of natural decay, a kind of memento mori. Notice how the artist uses hatching and cross-hatching to build up shadow and volume, creating a sense of depth and atmosphere. The drawing's subject matter, a dying Native American, speaks to the socio-political context of the time. As American settlers moved westward, displacing indigenous populations, Cole’s drawing offers a poignant, if romanticized, commentary on this loss. It's a reminder that even seemingly simple materials and processes can carry profound cultural and historical significance.