By Molly Langhorst
College Relations
CHADRON – A private collection of prints by artists and illustrators of the Old West from 1840 to 1910 is now on display in “The West as They Saw It” in the Mari Sandoz High Plains Heritage Center until May 13.
The owner of the collection, Jerry Underwood, grew up ranching and feeding cattle near Alliance, Nebraska. According to Underwood, he began collecting art in the late 1960s.
The Mari Sandoz High Plains Heritage Center is hosting a reception Feb. 16 honoring Underwood’s collection from 4 to 6 p.m. The reception is free and open to the public and will feature baked goods popular in western life during the 19th century. The Mari Sandoz High Plains Heritage Center is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Craving art in his home, Underwood began to purchase prints. He later built his home to accommodate his print collection.
“I met a gentleman at the Colorado Indian Market in Denver years ago who was from Santa Fe and he sent me catalogs of prints and I purchased stuff from there when I saw something that caught my eye,” Underwood said. “I didn’t realize how many I had bought until several years ago when I began to pull them out.”
After selling his feedlot in 2016, Underwood found himself with more free time and began going through his art collection. This is when Underwood framed many pieces and decided he wanted to do something with them.
The Sandoz Center show is the first time Underwood’s collection has been on display.
“As a member of the Sandoz Society, I have been visiting with Laure [Sinn, Sandoz Center Program Coordinator] about displaying my pieces for years, and the timing finally just seemed right,” Underwood said.
Underwood can’t choose just one print as his favorite.
“They’re all my favorite, but I have a lot of pieces by Karl Bodmer,” Underwood said. “His work just appeals to me; he was an extremely talented artist and the Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha is very lucky to have an extensive collection of his work.”
Underwood is also fond of Frederic Remington, an American painter, illustrator, sculptor, and writer who specialized in Western American art during the end of the 19th century. Several of Remington’s illustrated pieces are on display in Underwood’s collection.
One notable piece in Underwood’s collection is “Buffalo Hunt” by Charles Schreyvogel, inscribed to H.S. Withington with a copyright blind stamp from 1901, the same year the printing was completed.
Underwood’s collection also features a piece titled “Emigrants Crossing The Plains” by Felix Octavius Carr Darley, which exists in color at the Sandoz Center. The original had been in black and white, so the Sandoz Center piece is the result of being colorized.
Underwood is passionate about Western history and the stories depicted in his pieces. He believes that the museum is a valuable asset to the Chadron community.
“The museum is a gem and I think more people need to know about it,” Underwood said. “I’m excited to share my collection with others, and I hope that visitors will enjoy the pieces as much as I do.”