The Lewis and Clark
expedition of 1804–1806 encountered many Native American
groups as it traversed the prairie, plains, and plateau country,
finally arriving at the northwest coast. The American West, opened
by Lewis and Clark, was visited not only by explorers but also
by photographers and artists, who recorded the landscape and its
inhabitants. These images were disseminated in prints, books,
and photographs, expanding our country’s knowledge of its
vast frontier.
Trade between Native
Americans and Europeans was well established in some areas by
the early nineteenth century. Lewis and Clark carried glass beads
popular with Native American women for use in their arts. Dating
from the late nineteenth to the early twentieth centuries, this
selection of objects offers evidence that the native peoples encountered
by Lewis and Clark maintained their traditional styles and methods
of production nearly one hundred years later, incorporating native
and trade materials.
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On view
will be beaded garments from the Plains and Prairie peoples, basketry
utilizing local fibers crafted by peoples of the plateau, and
Native American objects that show the effect of continued contact
with Euro-Americans.
The University of Virginia Art Museum is located
at 155 Rugby Road, one block from the Rotunda. Admission is free.
Public hours are 1:00-5:00, Tuesday through Sunday.
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