THE BALLAD OF LEWIS AND CLARK
This website is devoted to the artistic endeavors of Eric
von Schmidt and his father, Harold von Schmidt famous American
illustrator for Saturday Evening Post.
We
cover topics of historical significance related to the art of both
the father and son. From the battles of Bunker Hill to The Alamo,
the Vons (as the von Schmidt family lovingly nicknamed Harold and Eric)
have painted on many subjects important to United States history.
We begin with month-by-month coverage
of Eric's just completed project, "The Ballad of Lewis
and Clark", a 4 X 7 foot acrylic linen canvas that
depicts a moment in time when Meriwether Lewis, William Clark and
the Corps of Discovery met the Shoshone at Camp Fortunate near
present day Dillon, Montana.
As Lewis and Clark traveled west over
the Missouri river they encountered many tribes of American Indians.
After making friends with the Mandan, the Corps of Discovery spent
the first winter, of their journey, in 1804-1805 with the small
tribe trading goods, information
and sharing cultural and social norms.
By the summer of 1805, Lewis
and Clark reached the headwaters of the Missouri near present day Three Forks,
Montana. The Rocky Mountains proved to be more than mere hills as
President Jefferson and Lewis expected, and the Corps of
Discovery desperately needed horses and supplies to survive the
difficult journey over the
mountains.
SACAJAWEA
Horses were one of the objectives of the
meeting with the Shoshone at Camp Fortunate on August 17, 1805. The
leader of the Shoshone, Cameahwait and his people welcomed Lewis and
Clark to their lands. Sacagawea along with her husband,
Toussaint Charbonneau a French Canadian fur trader were
traveling with the Corps of Discovery as
interpreters.
As Cameahwait hugged and welcomed the
men of the Corps of Discovery, Sacajawea suddenly recognized him as
her long, lost brother. She was taken from her family when Indians
captured her as a young girl.
It must have been a dramatic moment for everyone as Sacajawea
tearfully hugged her brother.
"THE BALLAD OF LEWIS AND CLARK";
A WORK IN PROGRESS
Eric is capturing these events of the
meeting in his painting. We will provide photos of the
progress of his work from early conception to the final brush
stroke. We sincerely hope you'll enjoy following the progress.
So, click on any of the navigation buttons near
the top left and begin exploring American history as seen through
the artist's eye.
Webmasters: Bob Reece & Joanne Blair
Send
email...
or mail correspondence to:
Bob Reece, P.O. Box 371, Firestone, CO 80520
Revised:
Thursday March 16, 2006
As of July 25, 2005 vonsworks.com has
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