French Explorer's Council with the Indians

This 1901 Remington canvas depicts a historical scene of French explorer-colonizers in council with Native Americans, a subject drawn from the history of early French engagement with indigenous peoples of North America. Remington's historical paintings of this period represent his effort to document the multi-ethnic history of the American West before living memory of it was entirely lost. Unlike his action subjects, this council scene is quiet and deliberate — the two parties studying one another with mutual wariness and curiosity. The painting is at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, which holds one of the finest collections of Remington's work.

Remington organizes the figures in a horizontal composition, French explorers on one side, Native leaders on the other, with firelight or filtered forest light illuminating the scene. The handling is careful and historically detailed in the costumes and equipment. The palette is warm and interior, appropriate to a council gathering.