Karl Ferdinand Wimar

Karl Ferdinand Wimar (also known as Charles Wimar and Carl Wimar) (1828-1862), was a painter of Western Native Americans and buffaloes.

He is particularly known for his 1855-1856 painting entitled The Abduction of Boone's Daughter by the Indians, a depiction of the 1776 capture of Jemima Boone and two other girls by Indians. The painting shows five Indians and Jemima on a raft, each wondering when Daniel Boone will come for her.

Early life and education

Born in Siegenburg, Germany, Wimar immigrated to the United States at the age of 15 with his parents. They settled in St. Louis, Missouri..

In 1846 he began studying painting with Leon Pomarede and went with his master on a trip up the Mississippi River. In 1852 he went to the Düsseldorf Academy to study with Emanuel Leutze.

Career

Wimar returned to St. Louis in 1856. He primarily occupied himself with painting the themes of Indian life, buffalo herds, and life in the Great Plains. He also portrayed the wagon trains of the western migration of settlers from the East Coast.

He made two long trips in 1858 and 1859 up the Missouri River, and was inspired by his experiences and observations of Native American life. He also traveled up the Mississippi.

Among Wimar's most well-known works were murals painted in 1861 in the Rotunda of St. Louis Court House. It is now part of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial.

Works

• 
  The Lost Trail, Charles Ferdinand Wimar, c. 1856. Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza.

External links

• carlwimar.com "The Charles (Carl) Ferdinand Wimar Research Project"
• fineoldart.com biography "Carl Wimar"
• Museo Thysse-Bornemisza Biography and Works: Karl Ferdinand Wimar