20 Works, December 22th. is Charles Deas’ day, his art, illustrated with footnotes #253

Long Jakes documents America’s first frontier hero, the fur trapper. The fur trade in the American West flourished in the 1830s and was one of the most financially successful industries in America during the first half of the 1800s. The image of the trapper was that of a fiercely independent traveler who led a solitary life. Trappers worked throughout the Rocky Mountains to gather beaver fur, a major commodity (beaver hats were very popular). Trappers were often seen as rebels living outside the limits of society, but more often they were viewed with a sort of heroism, the ideal of the independent American spirit. More on this painting

Charles Deas (December 22, 1818 — March 23, 1867) was an American painter noted for his oil paintings of Native Americans and fur trappers of the mid-19th century…

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