The essays in this volume trace the development of the Calgary Stampede, Weadick’s role as a talented manager and promoter, and the event’s impact on Russell’s career. Brian W. Dippie describes the works that appeared in the exhibition and discusses Weadick’s role in making the Stampede a reputation-defining success for himself and for Russell. Emily Crawford Wilson discusses the art that Russell and fellow artist Ed Borein created to advertise the Stampede. Karen B. McWhorter and Laura F. Fry focus on specific works of art prominent in the 1919 and 2019 exhibits. McWhorter discusses at length the royal provenance of Russell’s paintings When Law Dulls the Edge of Chance and When a Left Handshake Is the Safest, the latter of which was undocumented by Russell scholars until now. Fry elaborates on the meaning and historical implications of Russell’s oil Carson’s Men.
Return to Calgary: Charles M. Russell and the 1919 Victory Stampede richly illustrates all twenty-four paintings and eight bronzes included in the historic 1919 special exhibition of Russell’s work at Victoria Park in Calgary, a majority of which will be on display at the C. M. Russell Museum during the run of the tandem exhibition. This catalogue stands alone as a significant document commemorating and appraising one of Charles M. Russell’s major lifetime exhibitions.
