Born in Pittsfield, Illinois in 1886, Byxbe would move further West throughout the first half of his life. While he received no formal art training, he still harbored an eye and passion for the arts and developed his printmaking skillset in Omaha from Mark Levings, a local architect. In addition to creating commercial commissions to earn a living, Byxbe began producing a variety of etchings that reflected the time and place in which he found himself. For Nebraska, that included threshing scenes in the countryside during the fall, local homes blanketed in snow during the winter, and beehives resting beneath leafy trees in the summer.

In addition to capturing his Nebraska home in his artwork, Byxbe began to document the beauty and majesty of the Rocky Mountains, beginning in the 1920s. After years of spending summers enchanted by the mountains, Byxbe made the move from Omaha to Estes Park in the late 1930s. For the next 50 years, Byxbe would document the untouched vistas of his new home through a variety of etching techniques, creating a stunning body of work within American printmaking.

As the interstate system developed in Colorado throughout the 20th century, tourism increased. Byxbe’s print gallery offered visitors the ability to take home a small piece of fine art that effortlessly captured what they saw in the Rockies, and allowed them to look back every time they saw it on their wall.

Because his works were often created on a smaller scale, we encourage you to get “up close” and see the intricacies in each piece that Byxbe has left behind for us to explore. It is our hope that through Byxbe’s work, each viewer can look back in time and connect with the landscape around them.

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Red Cloud

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Red Cloud

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Etching on Paper

1932

Plate Size: 6 x 4 5/8 inches

Sheet Size: 10 x 7 3/4 inches

Signed in Pencil Lower Right

Byxbe created this etching in 1932 as a commission for the book Red Cloud’s Folk by George Hyde. The book, published in 1937, details the lives of the Oglala Sioux during the Black Hills War (1876-1877) and is considered to be one of the most comprehensive resources on the period. In 1878, Red Cloud and the rest of his tribe were forced to relocate to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in present-day South Dakota. Here, with his bone breastplate and striking single feather in his hair, Byxbe presents a post-war Red Cloud turning slightly away from onlookers against a stark background.

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