Karl Bodmer (February 6, 1809-October 30, 1893) was a Swiss painter of the American West. He accompanied German explorer Maximilian zu Wied-Neuwied in 1832 through 1834 on his Missouri River expedition. He was hired as an artist by Maximilian with the specific intent of traveling through the American West and recording images of the different tribes they saw along the way. When the expedition was complete, he returned to Germany with Prince Maximilian, then traveled to France. In Paris he had many scenes from the expedition (81 total) reproduced as aquatints. The Prince had these images incorporated into his book, Travels in the Interior of North America published in London in 1839. After returning to Europe, he lived in Barbizon, France, where he became a French citizen. At that point he changed his name to "Charles Bodmer". Today the majority of his originals are located in three collections spread across the United States, with the majority of them located at the Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha, Nebraska.
