Elbridge Ayer Burbank (Amer., 1858-1949), "The Cowboy Artist, Charles M. Russell", graphite on paper, signed and dated lower right, 1939, with Gerald Peters Gallery (Santa Fe, New Mexico) label affixed to the verso

sight: 18 x 13 in., frame: 27 x 21.5 in.

Previously Sold: Lot 217 in the 2000 C. M. Russell Auction of Original Western Art (Great Falls, Montana)

Provenance: Property from the Estate of Robert A. "Bob" Funk Sr. - trailblazing American businessman, philanthropist, and rancher, from his impressive ranch headquarters in Oklahoma City, OklahomaElbridge Burbank studied art in Munich for nearly six years beginning in 1886, where he trained alongside fellow American artists Joseph Sharp and William Leigh, after gaining early experience traveling through the American West as an illustrator for a homesteader’s magazine. He became devoted to documenting Native American life after receiving a commission to paint American Indian portraits, eventually working among as many as 125 tribes and producing more than 1,200 works. Best known for his carefully observed portraits and paintings of Native American subjects, Burbank combined academic European training with extensive firsthand observation, developing an intimate understanding of the people, customs, and environments he portrayed. Among his most notable works were multiple portraits of Apache leader Geronimo, whom he painted seven times, as well as numerous paintings of the Navajo and other Western tribes.