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Trial of Skill - with the Bow and Arrow
(18th and 19th Centuries )
While at the rendezvous of trappers, Miller had frequent opportunities to observe "trials of skill," one of the Indians' chief amusements. Of course, they bet on the results - beaver pelts against blankets, beads against wampum, pipes against tobacco. "This proceeds," Miller wrote, "until at last the very dresses they have on are placed in the scale of chances, sometimes reducing the poor devils almost to the condition of Adam, gambling being one of their strong passions."
The contests themselves - marksmanship with the elk-horn bow - were usually conducted on a calm day over a distance of thirty to forty yards. The arrows, shown being made by the figure at the left, were tipped with flint or iron, with a neat and balanced feather on the end. With the elk-horn bow they could "drive an arrow completely through a buffalo," Miller claimed. The targets shown in this sketch were circles two or three inches in circumference.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Bonamy Mansell Power; Edward Power [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Major G. H. Power, Great Yarmouth, England; Power Sale, Parke-Bernet Galleries, Inc., New York, May 6, 1966, no. 74; Walters Art Museum, May 6, 1966, by purchase.
Exhibitions
| 2008-2009 | Sentimental Journey: The Art of Alfred Jacob Miller. Amon Carter Museum, Fort Worth; Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha. |
| 2001 | The American Artist as Painter and Draftsman. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. |
| 1988 | Alfred Jacob Miller: Maryland and the West. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore; Washington College, Chestertown; Frostburg State University, Frostburg; Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington, Rockville. |
| 1981-1982 | Alfred Jacob Miller: An Artist on the Oregon Trail. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore; Amon Carter Museum, Fort Worth; Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Cody. |
| 1981 | Opening the Way West. Katonah Gallery, Katonah. |
Geographies
USA (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 7 3/8 x W: 10 1/4 in. (18.73 x 26.04 cm)
Credit Line
Museum purchase, 1966
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
37.2438