Business Manager and Wife of Western Artist Charles M. Russell
Against the backdrop of social and political reform of
the early 1900s, Nancy Cooper Russell was a woman
ahead of her time. A self taught business
woman with the ability to take charge,
Nancy helped Charles M. Russell become the
highest paid living artist of his time. Art
historians never fail to give her credit for being the reason
the world has the extraordinary Russell paintings
and sculptures that grace gallery and private
collections today. Who was this remarkable woman behind
the man? Nancy shares the story of her chance
meeting with the cowboy artist who would become her
husband, about the world of art that
celebrated the myth of the west at the beginning of
the 20th century, about the renowned artists and celebrities
the Russells knew as they traveled from NYC to the
growing California suburb called
Hollywood.
This is a 45
minute - 1 hour program with time for questions and
discussion.
Double-Click screen for video
"My wife has been an inspiration to me in my work. Without her I would probably have never attempted to soar or reach any height, further than to make a few pictures for my friends and old acquaintances . . . I still love and long for the old west, but I would sacrifice it all for Mrs. Russell."
Charles M. Russell, 1919
"I married the only Charlie Russell in the world, and my life has been full of romance, which they like to make movies out of, only mine happens to be real."
Nancy Russell, 1924
Nancy Russell; Nancy Cooper Russell; Mannville, Kentucky; western art; Charles Marion Russell; Charlie Russell; Good Medicine; Trails Plowed Under; Behind Every Man; Great Falls, Montana; Cascade, Montana; Western illustration; western sculpture; myth of the American West; early 20th century business women
woman with the ability to take charge,
Nancy helped Charles M. Russell become the
highest paid living artist of his time. Art
historians never fail to give her credit for being the reason
the world has the extraordinary Russell paintings
and sculptures that grace gallery and private
collections today. Who was this remarkable woman behind
the man? Nancy shares the story of her chance
meeting with the cowboy artist who would become her
husband, about the world of art that
celebrated the myth of the west at the beginning of
the 20th century, about the renowned artists and celebrities
the Russells knew as they traveled from NYC to the
growing California suburb called
Hollywood.