![]() I spoke with contemporary painter and sculptor Jeffrey Gibson about Fraser's End of the Trail, a work he describes as "having a very ambivalent relationship with over the years." Born in Colorado Springs, Jeffrey is half Cherokee and a member of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians. The sculpture continues to resonate with audiences in the twenty-first century, taking on new meanings and new forms in the digital age. James Earle and Laura Gardin Fraser Papers, Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Libraries, New Yorkįraser's sculpture has been interpreted in various ways: while some critics regarded the Indian's decline as a necessary step in America's westward "march of progress," others have viewed the work as a remorseful indictment of "the national stupidity that has greedily and cruelly destroyed a race of people possessing imagination, integrity, fidelity and nobility," as an unnamed critic wrote in Touchstone in 1920. Silver nitrate photograph 4 7/8 x 6 1/4 in. James Earle Fraser in His Studio with a Clay Maquette of the "End of the Trail" Sculpture, ca. Seated upon a windblown horse, Fraser's figure slumps over despondently, embodying the physical exhaustion and suffering of a people forcefully driven to the end of the trail. Despite its appeal as a popular American icon, Fraser intended the work as a pointed commentary on the damaging effects of Euro-American settlement on American Indian nations confined on government reservations. It was even featured on the cover of The Beach Boys 1971 album Surf's Up. Today, an online image search for "End of the Trail" returns tens of thousands of results, as the work has been endlessly reproduced in paintings and in prints, on posters, T-shirts, pins, bags, belt buckles, and bookends. Within a few months, thousands of prints and photographs of the statue were sold, and in 1918 Fraser began producing bronze reductions of the sculpture in two sizes. ![]() First modeled in 1894, the sculpture is based on Fraser's experiences growing up in Dakota Territory as he wrote in his memoirs, "as a boy, I remembered an old Dakota trapper saying, 'The Indians will someday be pushed into the Pacific Ocean.'" The artist later said that, "the idea occurred to me of making an Indian which represented his race reaching the end of the trail, at the edge of the Pacific." In 1915, Fraser displayed a monumental plaster version of the work at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco, earning popular acclaim and a gold medal. James Earle Fraser's End of the Trail is one of the most iconic works featured in The American West in Bronze, 1850–1925. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Purchase, Friends of the American Wing Fund, Mr. ALL items are Professionally produced by us.James Earle Fraser (American, 1876–1953). These are NOT items that were bought at a store close out or at an auction. These are quality items produced by quality minded professionals at the close of sell. THEY take time TO PRODUCE IF YOU CAN NOT WAIT THIS LONG PLEASE DO NOT BUY ![]() Will do custom work on any piece for an additional fee, just email ARE CRAFTED ITEMS PRODUCED AT TIME OF SELL. They need to be fired again ONLY if you are glazing. All my pieces have been fired and are ready to paint. If you have access to a kiln, glazes are great fun. They are easy to use, provide detailing abilities and are easy to clean up. Acrylics, available at most retail stores, are the most commonly used. Email me at TS_Ĭeramics are easy to paint for the beginner or professional and fun for any age group. For an additional cost the piece can be finished for you. ![]() Sell is for bisque not a finished piece, finished pieces are only for an example unless stated otherwise. I own the molds to make all my items, all items are produced at time of sell. Ceramic bookends are more decorative than functional.
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