Material Type

Artifact

Date

1966

Materials

WOOD, PAPER

No. Pieces

1

Length

37.0

Width

27.3

Description

FRAMED WATERCOLOR. SIGNED: "TAILFEATHERS - 66" BL. LANDSCAPE SCENE WITH 9 INDIVIDUALS ON HORSE-BACK, 2 WITH TRAVOIS & DOG RUNNING ALONGSIDE. IN BACKGROUND ARE LOW HILLS. INDIVIDUALS ARE IN TRADITIONAL NATIVE REGALIA. VIEW IS FROM BACK, OF SUBJECT.

Subjects

INDIGENOUS

ART

Historical Association

FINE ARTS

History

PURCHASED BY DONOR. ARTIST, RAISED ON KAINAI RESERVE. SEE P20060025003-GA FOR FULL HISTORY OF ARTIST *UPDATE* IN 2014 COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT JANE EDMUNDSON CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF MILITARY OBJECTS, INCLUDING ONE DONATED BY DR. ALEX JOHNSTON (P19820062000). WHILE SHE WAS UNABLE TO FIND SPECIFIC INFORMATION ON THE ARTIFACTS DONATED BY JOHNSTON, A TRIBUTE ARTICLE FROM THE APRIL 13, 1989 ISSUE OF THE LETHBRIDGE HERALD PROVIDES BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION. JOHNSTON WAS BORN IN 1920 IN WORKED FOR NEARLY 30 YEARS AS A RANGELAND ECOLOGIST AT THE LETHBRIDGE RESEARCH STATION. HIS CAREER AS A LOCAL HISTORIAN STARTED IN THE MID-1960S, AND BY HIS DEATH HE HAD AUTHORED OVER ONE HUNDRED ARTICLES AND PUBLICATIONS. HE WORKED AT THE GALT MUSEUM AND ARCHIVES, AND SERVED AS THE CHAIRMAN OF THE ARITFACTS AND ACQUISITION COMMITTEE AT THE FORT WHOOP UP INTERPRETIVE SOCIETY. JOHNSON RECEIVED AN HONOURARY DOCTORATE OF LAWS FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF LETHBRIDGE AND WAS INDUCTED IN THE ALBERTA AGRICULTURE HALL OF EXCELLENCE FOR HIS ROLE IN THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE RESEARCH SUBSTATION WEST OF STAVELY - A DEMONSTRATION FARM USED TO DEVELOP THE PRESERVATION OF NATIVE PRAIRIE GRASSES. JOHNSTON WAS A CONFIRMED BACHELOR AND LIVED FOR MANY YEARS AT THE MARQUIS HOTEL. HE DIED ON APRIL 12, 1989. *UPDATE* IN 2014 COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT JANE EDMUNDSON CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF ART OBJECTS. THE FOLLOWING BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION ON THE ARTIST, GERALD TAILFEATHERS, WAS EXCERPTED FROM THE ONLINE CANADIAN AND ALBERTA ENCYCLOPEDIAS AND PERMANENT FILE P20060025003. GERALD TAILFEATHERS WAS BORN ON THE BLOOD RESERVE IN STANDOFF, ALBERTA IN FEBRUARY 1925. HE WAS QUITE YOUNG WHEN HE FIRST BEGAN HIS FORMAL ART TRAINING. IN 1935, AT THE TENDER AGE OF TEN, TAILFEATHERS TRAVELLED TO THE UNITED STATES TO STUDY AT THE ST. MARY’S LAKE SUMMER ART SCHOOL IN GLACIER NATIONAL PARK, MONTANA. STUDY AT THE SCHOOL WOULD HAVE AN INTERESTING INFLUENCE ON TAILFEATHERS’ WORK. ON ONE HAND, HIS ART WAS INFLUENCED BY ARTISTS SUCH AS CARL LINCK AND THE GERMAN BORN PAINTER FROM NEW YORK NAMED WINOLD REISS. REISS HAD MOVED TO THE UNITED STATES IN 1913 WITH THE DREAM OF PAINTING PORTRAITS OF NATIVE PEOPLES, WITH WHOM HE HAD CARRIED A BOYHOOD FASCINATION. STARTING IN 1927, REISS WAS COMMISSIONED TO PRODUCE NUMEROUS PORTRAITS OF MEMBERS OF THE BLACKFOOT CONFEDERACY FOR THE GREAT NORTHERN RAILWAY COMPANY, WHICH THE COMPANY USED IN POSTERS, MENUS, CALENDARS, AND OTHER ADVERTISING MATERIALS. WHILE REISS’ PORTRAITS WERE UNABASHEDLY ROMANTIC, REISS’ WORK WAS CONSIDERED FRESH FOR ITS TIME IN THAT IT DEPICTED THE BLACKFOOT PEOPLE IN A VIBRANT AND MOVING STYLE. TAILFEATHERS STUDIED CLOSELY UNDER REISS IN MONTANA, AND HIS EARLIER ARTWORK SHOWS HIS MENTOR’S INFLUENCE. IN ADDITION TO HIS ART TRAINING, TAILFEATHERS WAS RECEIVING A DIFFERENT KIND OF EDUCATION AT THE ST. MARY’S LAKE SUMMER SCHOOL. WHILE AT ST. MARY’S HE FORGED FRIENDSHIPS WITH MANY KAINAI ELDERS. THROUGH THEIR TUTELAGE, TAILFEATHERS WOULD GAIN A PROFOUND SENSE OF HIS OWN CULTURE, AND THIS THEME RESONATED IN HIS ARTWORK. 1941 WAS ANOTHER SIGNIFICANT YEAR FOR GERALD TAILFEATHERS. IN THAT YEAR, HE BEGAN STUDIES AT THE BANFF SCHOOL OF FINE ARTS, FOR WHICH HE HAD RECEIVED A SCHOLARSHIP. THERE HE CONTINUED TO DEVELOP HIS STYLE MENTORED BY SUCH ARTISTS AS CHARLES COMFORT, WALTER PHILIPS, AND H.G. GLYDE. DURING THIS TIME, TAILFEATHERS WAS EXPOSED TO THE ARTWORKS OF WESTERN ARTISTS SUCH AS CHARLES M. RUSSEL AND FREDERICK REMINGTON, AND HE ENDEAVOURED TO FIND HIS OWN VISUAL STYLE THROUGH EXPERIMENTATION. IN 1942, TAILFEATHERS STUDIED COMMERCIAL DESIGN AT THE PROVINCIAL INSTITUTE OF ART AND TECHNOLOGY IN CALGARY. HE FOUND WORK WITH THE HUDSON’S BAY COMPANY AS A PROFESSIONAL DESIGNER. LATER, HE SERVED AS A BAND COUNCIL MEMBER FOR THE KAINAI NATION. DESPITE HIS BUSY SCHEDULE, TAILFEATHERS PRODUCED NUMEROUS WORKS IN MEDIA RANGING FROM OILS AND WATERCOLOURS TO CHARCOAL, PASTELS, AND PEN AND INK. BY THE 1950S, TAILFEATHERS WAS BEGINNING TO EXPLORE THE HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE OF HIS WORK. HIS KNOWLEDGE OF KAINAI HISTORY AND CULTURE BEGAN TO BECOME THE FOCUS OF HIS WORK, AND HIS ART PIECES STOOD AS VIGNETTES OF 19TH-CENTURY KAINAI LIFE. DURING THE 1950S AND 1960S, TAILFEATHERS’ WORK BEGAN TO RISE IN PROMINENCE. HIS WORKS WERE FEATURED AT SUCH VENUES AS THE MONTREAL EXPOSITION IN 1967, THE CALGARY STAMPEDE, THE GLENBOW MUSEUM IN CALGARY, AS WELL AS NUMEROUS NATIONAL ART EXHIBITIONS ACROSS CANADA. ALWAYS EXPERIMENTING WITH HIS ART AND ACCEPTING NEW CHALLENGES, TAILFEATHERS ILLUSTRATED AN AWARD WINNING CHILDREN’S BOOK, THE WHITE CALF, IN 1965; AFTER 1969, TAILFEATHERS ADDED CAST BRONZE SCULPTURE TO HIS ARTISTIC ACHIEVEMENTS. HIS SCULPTING WAS INFLUENCED BY ARIZONA ARTIST GEORGE PHIPPIN, AND DEPICTED COWBOY ART THEMES. GERALD TAILFEATHERS DIED AT THE UNTIMELY AGE OF 50, ON APRIL 3, 1975, ON THE BLOOD RESERVE. SEE PERMANENT FILE P20060025003 FOR A HARDCOPY NEWSPAPER ARTICLE ON TAILFEATHERS.

Catalogue Number

P19800312000

Acquisition Date

1980-12

Collection

Museum

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