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Charles M. Russell Research Collection (Britzman)

Collection Overview

The collection was amassed by Russell biographer Homer Britzman (including material kept by Nancy Russell the artist’s widow) over several decades following the artist’s death in 1926. Prior to the acquisition of the Russell Research Collection by The University of Tulsa in 2009, the collection had been housed in Colorado Springs since the early 1970s.

The Russell Research Collection consists of original sketches and drawings, illustrated letters and envelopes by Russell, volumes of letters to and from Russell, photographs and negatives of Russell and various celebrities, photographs of Russell’s artwork, documentation of artwork, writings by Russell, albums of newspaper clippings and printed ephemera related to Russell, Russell family albums, and personal effects including paints, palettes, hand molded sculptures, spurs, western dress, hats, and Indian artifacts, as well as his famous ivory-handled, Colt Six-shooter.

The research collection provides insight into Russell’s artistic process through the hundreds of sketches and drawings that he used to create his finished works. The material also provides an excellent archive on the business of art in Russell’s time, particularly his relationship with clients for his fine art as well as illustrations for magazines and books. The collection also documents the efforts of Nancy Russell to perpetuate her husband’s place in American art. An inside view of the artist’s personal life also can be seen through the extensive collection of family photographs and documents.

Thomas Gilcrease Library and Archive
ENG
12749 items
CSV file
ZZ.018

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Access Restrictions

Available by appointment only at the Helmerich Center for American Research (HCAR) with the exception of materials with donor restrictions. Contact Library staff in advance to inquire if materials exist pertaining to your research interests.

Provenance

The Gilcrease Foundation acquired these materials before 1964 and is housed in the Helmerich Center for American Research (HCAR). The library currently receives most materials through community donation, board members, artists and the acquisition of manuscript collections.

Staff, interns, and volunteers of the Thomas Gilcrease Library and Archive have contributed to the organization and maintenance of the files since the collection passed to the City of Tulsa in the 1950s.

Use Restrictions

Please contact the Rights and Reproduction Department for information on publishing or reproducing materials included in these records. Permission will be granted by the Gilcrease Museum as the owner of the physical materials, and does not imply permission from the copyright holder. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain all necessary permissions from the copyright holder.

Biographical / Historical

Born on March 19, 1864 in St. Louis, Missouri, Russell discovered a love of drawing while still a boy. He also dreamed of being a cowboy and left home at the age of 16 for the open range of the Montana territory. He worked first as a hired hand on a sheep ranch and hunter’s assistant. In only a few years, however, the young man found work on a cattle ranch where he was exposed to the cowboy life that would characterize much of his work throughout his later career. With no formal training, Russell had few artistic influences, but did draw inspiration from such notables as George Catlin, Karl Bodmer, and Frederic Remington. Russell’s main influences, however, were the people and events that surrounded him in his early years on the range. American Indians were always a central focal point and were incorporated in the majority of his artworks.

In 1896, Russell married Nancy Cooper, who went on to become his most passionate admirer, critic, and art dealer. Indeed, Nancy Russell’s influence is perhaps under-appreciated in the perpetuation of C.M. Russell’s work as an artist. After Russell died in 1926, Nancy went on to promote her husband’s art through sales and publications until her own death in 1940. Russell’s paintings connect with the viewer not only in his enthusiastic depiction of movement and action, but sometimes also in the stillness and thoughtful repose of his subjects. Russell strived to convey emotion — humor, sadness, desperation, apprehension, and determination, in short, the human condition — against the backdrop of the vast and rugged western landscape. His paintings and sculpture speak with an authority and a genuineness that remain unmatched by his contemporaries.

Though widely challenged, Russell was without peer in his ability to reconcile his own thoughts and emotions with the viewer, to convey authentic stories of western life with individuals far removed from the late 19th century western American experience. For all time, Russell captured the imagery of a world fast fading into history. Indeed, his works continue to speak across time and space and remain relevant after nearly a century.