Washington Irving Meeting the Osage

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Artist: Wayne Cooper Sponsor: Sen. Charles Ford Dedication: March 16, 1998 Size: 48" x 36" Type: Oil on Canvas Location: Senate Lounge

"We came upon the banks of the Arkansas [River], at a place (near Tulsa) where tracks of numerous horses, all entering the water, showed where a party of Osage hunters had recently crossed the river on their way to the buffalo range . . . ." "A little farther on, we reached a straggling Osage village, on the banks of the Arkansas. Our arrival created quite a sensation. A number of old men came forward and shook hands with us severally; while the women and children huddled together in groups, staring at us wildly...." The scene in the painting portrays the parties' camp the evening of the encounter at the Osage village. "...several Osage Indians, visitors from the village were mingled among our men." "We gave them food, and, what they relished, coffee; for the Indians partake in the universal fondness for this beverage, which pervades the West." - A Tour of the Prairies, Washington Irving, 1835.

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