End of the Trail, cast 1918, by James Earle Frazer, courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. We had the smaller version in our house when I was growing up.
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When I visit a city, I try to seek out its famous artists. Minneapolis-Saint Paul gave us Prince, Leroy Neiman, and A Prairie Home Companion. However, visual artists are thin on the ground. Thatâs surprising, because itâs a robust city of great beauty. Moreover, the prairie has given us so much great art, ranging from the novels of Willa Cather to the paintings of Grant Wood, Thomas Hart Benton, and so many others.
1913 Indian Head Nickel, courtesy US Mint (coin), National Numismatic Collection (photograph by Jaclyn Nash)
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James Earle Fraser came from tiny Winona in the southeast corner of the state. His name is pretty well forgotten today, but two of his works are iconic 20th century pieces. The Indian Head nickel was struck from 1913 to 1938 as part of the US governmentâs first attempt to make beautiful currency. âI felt I wanted to do something totally Americanâa coin that could not be mistaken for any other country’s coin. It occurred to me that the buffalo, as part of our western background, was 100% American, and that our North American Indian fitted into the picture perfectly,â Fraser said about his design.
End of the Trail was intended to be cast in bronze, but wartime shortages prevented that. The original slowly deteriorated until 1968, when it was obtained by the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum and restored.
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Fraser sculpted a monumental plaster version of a Native brave dropping in exhaustion for the 1915 PanamaâPacific International Exposition in San Francisco. End of the Trail was based on his experiences growing up in Dakota Territory. âAs a boy, I remembered an old Dakota trapper saying, âThe Indians will someday be pushed into the Pacific Ocean.ââ
End of the Trail was copied on the cover of The Beach Boys 1971 album Surf’s Up.
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You can still buy horrible copies of it, both in bronze and in less permanent forms, like this t-shirt. |
The same is true of the Indian Head Nickel. This is an insulated Whataburger Coffee Mug. |