On the Border of the White Man's Land

Solon Hannibal Borglum

1899; cast 1906–07 · Bronze · The American Wing

In 1899 Borglum spent three months among the Crow Creek Sioux in South Dakota, where he began to model his first Indigenous subject. In ensuing years, he offered contradictory narratives about this prone man grasping a rifle shielded by his horse for a camouflaged view of his foe. One explanation was that it represented Black Eagle, a scout for General George A. Custer, who was sent to report on unvanquished Native Americans. Another was that the unnamed figure was spying on white settlers or a passing train.

Artist

Solon Hannibal Borglum

Date

1899; cast 1906–07

Medium

Bronze

Culture

American

Department

The American Wing

Credit line

Rogers Fund, 1907