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Instructions
You are now going to learn more about two of the paintings from the gallery. Please take careful notes on these two paintings. You will be the expert and will need to share what you have learned with your group.
Image 1 - Across the Continent
This painting was made in 1868 by Frances Flora Bond Palmer. She moved from England to live in the United States, but she probably never visited the American West. That means that she painted this without seeing these things herself!
This painting represents the ideas of Manifest Destiny.
Notice the train - this represents the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad, or the railroad that stretched from the East Coast of the United States to the West Coast. This railroad would be completed one year after this was painted.
Look at all of that empty land ahead of the train! This helped get people excited to move West. She forgot to show that Native Americans were already living there and that they claimed the land. Notice also how the Native Americans that she did include are separated from the pioneer settlement and are being left in the steam cloud of the train.
Take a look at how nice and clean that little western town is! In reality, life could be difficult for people moving to the west.
Follow this link to learn more about this painting.
Image 2 - The White Cloud, Head Chief of the Iowas
This painting was made in 1844 or 1845 by George Catlin. He was a lawyer you wanted to make a record of the Native Americans who were disappearing because of the Indian Removal Act and disease. Catlin visited many tribes and made hundreds of paintings.
This painting depicts The White Cloud who was the head chief of the Iowas.
Catlin painted Native Americans as they actually looked instead of how people in America imagined them to look.
This painting gave Americans a different idea of what wealthy people or leaders could look like. Compare this painting of The White Cloud to the painting of Andrew Jackson shown below. These paintings were painted in the same year. The Jackson painting is by a different artist, but it shows an example of what many Americans saw as wealth and leadership.
Follow this link to learn more about this painting.
This painting of The White Cloud was made after the chief and his people were removed to the west.
Once you are done, wait for your group to finish their in-depth examination of their two paintings
When all three of you are done, you will start the discussion by sharing what you have learned about these two paintings
Each of you should refer to the paintings as you discuss them by returning to the complete art gallery page
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