Paul Kane's frontier

In the 1840's, Paul Kane travelled the far reaches of the North American West, from the Great Lakes along the fur-trade routes to the coast, sketching a visual record of the Indian cultures of that vast area. With the publication of this study of his life and career, Kane emerges as a major figure among North American artists of the 19th century. Hundreds of his sketches are examined together for the first time. The range of his subjects offers important visual documentation for the story of the North American West.