Karl Bodmer’s Tower Rock: View on the Missisippi
Object Profile
In the middle of the Mississippi, off the bank of Perry County, a large island towers over the river. While the island may look boring at first, its historical significance cannot be ignored.
Karl Bodmer’s “Tower Rock: View on the Missisippi” illustrates an island in the Mississippi River near Perry County. The illustration originates from the book Travels from the Interior of North America, 1832–1834, detailing an expedition through the interior of North America. Bodmer was brought along to illustrate for the expedition journal.
Karl Bodmer
Karl Bodmer was a Swiss artist who had a particular interest in sketching naturalistic imagery and landscapes. Before his trip to America, he grew popular for illustrations in German travel albums and catalogs. This attracted the eye of Prince Maximilian Alexander Philipp of Wied, who was in need of an artist to travel with him, with the intent of being published in his expedition journal. Bodmer seized the opportunity to travel to America and agreed to illustrate for Maxmilian’s crew.
The Expedition
During the expedition, the group followed a map from the Lewis and Clark expedition, traveling on the Ohio River until getting to the Mississippi, and then traveling north to get on the Missouri River. They would have encountered Tower Rock during the brief period they were traveling north on the Mississippi. Bodmer and Maximilian spent a lot of time documenting the Native Americans that lived in the interior of North America. Bodmer created thoughtful portraits and paintings of the people and traditions. These and several other images drawn by Bodmer can be seen in Travels from the Interior of North America, including landscapes of the Missouri River as the crew left St. Louis and of Native Americans that inhabited Missouri and other interior states.
Travels from the Interior of North America is most known for its detailed depiction of the Native Americans that inhabited the interior. Bodmer’s most famous works include the portraits of Native Americans that are now regarded as some of the most detailed depictions of Native Americans of this time, including of Native groups that have since died off, and their culture lost.
The Book
Back in Europe after the expedition, the book was published with Bodmer’s illustrations and the reception was not what Bodmer had wanted, the reactions to his art being mostly negative. In the 1950’s, Bodmer’s work was rediscovered and re-evaluated, revealing that Bodmer’s work was exceptional, with his attention to detail and respect for the Native American culture. Prince Maxmilian’s journey was also one of the first to combine a diverse array of documentation, with both science being observed and art being created.
This illustration, and the rest of Travels from the Interior of North America, was intended to educate Europeans about life in North America. This illustration of Tower Rock may specifically have been to show Europeans a landmark for their journey.
Today
Tower Rock still stands as a tourist attraction and landmark for Perry County residents, as a designated natural area. While Karl Bodmer’s illustration of the landmark was not appreciated when it was published, the historical significance and the beauty of the landmark and the illustration are appreciated today.
