393

Dorothy Eugenie Brett

(1883 - 1977)

My First Indian (from Buffalo Bill's Long Ago and Faraway), 1949

oil on board
inscribed, signed, and dated lower margin: My First Indian in Buffalo Bill's Show in London in the "Long Ago and Faraway" DEBRETT / 1949
12 x 11 1/2 in. (30.5 x 29.2 cm.), frame: 16 3/4 x 15 3/4 x 1 1/2 in. (42.5 x 40 x 3.8 cm.)

  • Provenance: Robert L. Parsons Fine Art, Taos, New Mexico
    Owings-Dewey Fine Art, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 2009
    The Gregory Warren Nelson Collection, New Mexico

    inscribed verso: "Of a great joy was Buffalo Bill. We looked forward every year to his return and we always went. I can see that great big arena now, the gates opening, and Buffalo Bill riding in bowing and waving his hat at the audience. Then the coach would come in - the coach with passengers and four horses. It galloped around the arena and then suddenly, with yells and warhoops and firing guns, the Indians would come galloping arter (sic) the coach. There was one young Indian if I still remember clearly. He was painted a pale yellow. He was barebacked, almost naked, with a great war bonnet floating from his head and he galloped around and around firing his gun, a very gallant, gallant figure and I can never forget him."
    - Dorothy Brett

    Dorothy Brett's "My First Indian (from Buffalo Bill's Long Ago and Faraway)" (1949) reflects a poignant childhood memory of her first encounter with Native American culture during Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show in London. This small but powerful work captures the awe and fascination that would later shape her artistic career in Taos, where she would deeply engage with Native traditions. While the work's title evokes a sense of nostalgia, her vibrant portrayal of the Native man riding on a galloping horse brings the figure to life with immediacy, bridging Brett's personal past with the cultural world that would become central to her artistic vision.
  • Condition: Examined under blacklight. Presents in very good condition.

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November 9, 2024 1:00 PM MST
Santa Fe, NM, US

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