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distinct and both of their visions enrich our understanding of frontier culture. Russell was recognized for his renditions of the cowboys and range land of the central and eastern parts of the state. Paxson, on the other hand, was much more intrigued with the mountainous western
Montana landscape and its inhabitants of fur trappers and Native Americans. Paxson was often praised for his attention to historic detail, as opposed to perhaps a more romantic view of the untamed west. His murals at the Missoula County Courthouse and the State Capitol depict scenes largely faithful to the historic record. They include events such as stops on the Lewis and Clark journey, the signing of the treaty at Council Grove, and the journey of the Salish out of the Bitterroot Valley.
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in books. His brush told stories that people like to read. … The iron heel of civilization has stamped out nations of men, but it has never been able to stamp out pictures, and Paxson was one of the men gifted to make them. I am a painter, too, but Paxson has done some things that I cannot do. He was a pioneer and a pioneer painter … Paxson loved
Montana. May the land where he has gone be even more beautiful than the mountains that he loved."
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Following Paxson's death, Russell offered a tribute to the artist: "Paxson has gone, but his pictures will not allow us to forget him. His work tells me that he loved the Old West, and those that love her I count as friends. Paxson was my friend, and today the west that he knew is history that lives
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He started researching the battle shortly after arriving in
Montana, interviewing Indians who had participated in it and soldiers who had first arrived on the scene. Having built a good reputation with both American soldiers and many Native American tribes, he was able to interview parties from both
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met in 1908, and
Russell later visited Paxson's Missoula studio. These two artists had an amicable relationship. In 1915, they marshaled a parade together in downtown Missoula. But the two artists are often compared, at Paxson's expense. A careful look reveals that their styles and interests were
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Paxson was born in 1852 to a Quaker family in East
Hamburg New York. He spent most of his childhood in the woodlands of New York and Pennsylvania, learning to hunt and trap game with the help of his uncles. At age ten he worked as a drummer boy for new recruits during the
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Once settled in Deer Lodge, Paxson began to take work painting signage, and then painting stage sets for the
Cottonwood Theater in Deer Lodge. He lived comfortably in Deer Lodge, still relatively obscure as an artist, raising his four children with Laura, until the
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county courthouse. The murals took 16 months to complete, and still stand in the entrance hall where they were originally placed. The subjects include
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It took Paxson six years to complete the painting which he allowed an associate to take on tour around
America, charging twenty-five cents to view it.
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Paxson repeatedly stated in interviews that his initial spark of inspiration to take to the canvas was inspired by the violence and drama of the
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in 1898, when at age 46 he led
Company "G"of the Butte Volunteers into battle in the jungles of Manila.
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was brought to tears by the accuracy and ferocity of the painting, as was
Elizabeth Custer. In 1963
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sides, including a Sioux chief named Gall, a
Cheyenne warrior named Two Moon, and
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387:. Boulder Colorado: Pruett Publishing Company. pp. 1–126.
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In 1912 Paxson was commissioned to paint eight murals in the
98:(April 25, 1852 – November 9, 1919) was an American frontier
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Detail of "Lewis and Clark at Three Forks", Montana Capitol
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ranged the woodlands. Inspired by his meetings with
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210:with his wife Laura Millicent and child Loren.
141:"Lewis at Black Eagle Falls," Montana Capitol
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157:"After the Whiteman's Book," Montana Capitol
125:"Surrender of Chief Joseph", Montana Capitol
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444:Custer's Last Stand – Artist E.S. Paxson
106:. He is best known for his portraits of
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118:in his painting "Custer's Last Stand".
421:"National Register Information System"
408:The Cyclopaedia of American Biography
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426:National Register of Historic Places
513:20th-century American male artists
508:19th-century American male artists
224:National Registered Historic Place
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498:People from Deer Lodge, Montana
352:"E.S. Paxson * Frontier Artist"
322:Friendship With Charlie Russell
288:Buffalo Bill Center of the West
206:. Eventually he made a home in
493:Painters from New York (state)
478:20th-century American painters
468:19th-century American painters
383:Paxson, Edgar William (1984).
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114:and for his depiction of the
16:American painter (1852–1919)
385:E.S Paxson, Frontier Artist
326:Edgar and fellow Montanan,
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449:February 26, 2012, at the
243:, and by the character of
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166:The Death Of John Bozeman
241:Battle of Little Bighorn
116:Battle of Little Bighorn
245:George Armstrong Custer
89:Laura Millicent Johnson
473:American male painters
328:Charles Marion Russell
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168:by Edgar Samuel Paxson
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43:East Hamburg, New York
518:Painters from Montana
431:National Park Service
410:(NY: 1918), 8:285–286
316:Montana State Capitol
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280:Edward Settle Godfrey
265:Edward Settle Godfrey
196:Captain Jack Crawford
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503:Artists from Montana
216:Spanish–American War
184:California Gold Rush
230:Custer's Last Stand
208:Deer Lodge, Montana
149:Custer's Last Stand
96:Edgar Samuel Paxson
180:American Civil War
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394:978-0-87108-663-1
304:Missoula, Montana
277:Brigadier General
262:Brigadier General
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55:(1919-11-09)
488:1919 deaths
483:1852 births
235:Inspiration
220:Camp Paxson
66:Nationality
462:Categories
362:2010-05-05
339:References
192:Kit Carson
35:1852-04-25
308:Sacagawea
173:Biography
447:Archived
271:Reaction
255:Research
249:Old West
112:Old West
80:Painting
70:American
110:in the
104:Montana
100:painter
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204:Canada
200:Kansas
86:Spouse
290:, in
389:ISBN
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50:Died
29:Born
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
