Page 28 - 2021 March Sealed Bid Catalogue

Lot 12—GERARD CURTIS DELANO—Moonlight Stampede
As detailed in Richard G. Bowman’s book titled Walking with Beauty about the art of Gerard Delano, Moonlight Stampede has a very interesting story about how it is signed and what it depicts, and its provenance. A copy of that catalog Walking with Beauty will be delivered to the winning bidder of this fine nocturne that honors dramatic depictions of night scenes in the tradition of Frederic Remington.19
In Indian estimation, the skilful thief stands very nearly on a par with the daring fighter ... The admiration for a successful warrior is likely to be tempered with some fear of him, while admiration for the successful thief is only enhanced by envy of his skill and consequent wealth.
An Indian steals the horses of an Indian of another tribe. In his own estimation and that of his tribe the act is admirable and worthy of all praise, while in the estimation of the loser and his tribe, the act is a most villainous theft, and the perpetrator deserving instant death.
To steal from a member of his own band is the greatest crime an Indian can commit; to steal from any one else, and not be caught at it, is an act worthy the highest commendation ... the doom of the captured horse-thief is certain death.
When not at war, Indians are not very careful of their horses, leaving the herd habitually in charge of the boys. The opportunities for stealing are so many and excellent that the temptation is often too strong to be resisted ... [But previously,] When the whole vast country was free to the Indian, the thieves could drive their stolen stock far away, dispose of, or enjoy it as seemed best.
—Exerpt from Our Wild Indians By Richard Erving Dodge
In Moonlight Stampede, Delano has cleverly and effectively addressed an issue near and dear to Charlie Russell’s personal night wrangling experiences. In her upcoming biography of Charlie Russell his wife, Nancy, provides a useful perspective about the risk of a nighttime stampede potentially precipitated by a resourceful Indian.
Charlie night-herded horses in the Spring and beef in the Fall and became one of the most trusted horse wranglers and nightherders of beef in the Judith country. To be a successful nightherder of beef was to have attained a very responsible position on the range. The beef [and horses] represented the money of an outfit, and to have charge of this during the treacherous hours of summer and fall nights was to be entrusted with the capital and profits of the owners.
Startled by a sudden thunder storm on a dark night, or by the striking of a match by some careless cowpuncher, or by the mischievous cracking of an Indian blanket, a herd would often stampede and become transformed into the most unwieldy mass imaginable. Such an incident could result not only in loss of cattle but loss of human life. With a herd stampeding, and with the plains out into myriad forms by cutbanks and coulees, the herder endeavoring to head off the seething mass of hoof, horn and hide, never knew but that the next jump of his horse might mark his last moment on earth.
[Nancy proudly asserts] Charlie wrangled and nightherded for eleven years, and he never lost a herd.
In sum, Gerard Curtis Delano has very successfully created an image that, based on Nancy’s account, undoubtedly would have strongly resonated with the famous night wrangler/artist Charles M. Russell.