Fur Trade Illustration Project

 

Finding Aid to the Fur Trade Illustration Project, 1945-1948

Finding Aid by Jennifer L. Rawlings and Maxine H. Gaterman
July 2001

INTRODUCTION TO THE COLLECTION

The Fur Trade Illustration Project Collection consists of approximately two hundred and fifty pen and ink drawings done by William Macy and James Mulcahy. Macy and Mulcahy worked as artists for the National Park Service to create the drawings for use in National Park Service programs and museums and also to illustrate books written by another Park Service employee, Carl P. Russell. Carl P. Russell was the Chief Naturalist of the National Park Service when this project began and had moved on to become the Superintendent of Yosemite National Park by the time the project was completed. His abiding interest in the subject of fur trappers and traders led him to write two books on the subject: Guns on the Early Frontiers: A History, and Firearms, Traps, and Tools of the Mountain Men: A Guide. Russell began serious research on his books in 1930 when he embarked upon fifteen years of study in libraries, museums, and private collections in the United States, Canada, and Europe. Although Russell had the knowledge he needed to write his books, he needed illustrations. Jefferson National Expansion Memorial exhibited materials about the fur trade but needed for display purposes the same type of illustrations that Russell sought for his books. Russell suggested the Fur Trade Illustration Project as a way to benefit the museum and to illustrate his books. He lent his considerable expertise to the project and the National Park Service provided artists.

The National Park Service transferred William Macy from the Museum Division of the National Park Service and hired James Mulcahy of New York to work at Jefferson National Expansion Memorial as artists on the project. They viewed as many original objects in person as possible, examined contemporary field sketches and written descriptions left by participants, and used Russell's notes from his extensive research in over one hundred collections. Russell kept in close contact with the pair, recommending subjects for their drawings. The drawings were done from 1945-1948. William Macy and James Mulcahy then left for other parks, although Russell had yet to finish his books.

Russell received a Guggenheim fellowship in 1952 to continue his work on the fur traders and trappers. He finished and published his book, Guns on the Early Frontiers: A History, in 1957, the year in which he retired from the National Park Service. His Firearms, Traps, and Tools of the Mountain Men: A Guide was published posthumously in 1967. Unfortunately, Dr. Russell did not have the chance to complete the final book of the planned trilogy. His papers are located at the Washington State University Library in Pullman, Washington.

The collection consists of the original drawings and sketches done by Macy and Mulcahy as well as reproductions of the images. The reproductions are negative and positive photostats, photographic plates, and scanned digital images in jpg, bitmap, and tiff formats.

Information obtained from this collection must be properly cited, whether used in publication or in other formats. A citation suggested for this collection is:

National Park Service
Gateway Arch National Park Archives
Fur Trade Illustration Project, 1945-1948
Box __, Folder__

Researchers are advised that before records, photographs, and any other unpublished materials from this collection can be published or exhibited, permission from the National Park Service must be obtained in writing.

 

Full Text PDF

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