North American Auction Company
Live Auction

Wild West Wonders: May Collector's Auction Event

Sat, May 18, 2024 11:00AM EDT
Lot 656

Winold Reiss Great Northern RR Calendar Topper (2)

Estimate: $200 - $300

Bid Increments

Price Bid Increment
$0 $5
$50 $10
$100 $25
$500 $50
$1,000 $100
$2,000 $250
$5,000 $500
$10,000 $1,000
$25,000 $2,500
$100,000 $5,000
For your consideration are two Winold Reiss Great Northern Railroad calendar toppers titled, "The Sign Talkers" and "Chief Yellow Kidney" circa 1935 and 1939. F. Winold Reiss was a German-born American artist and graphic designer. In 1920 he went West for the first time, working for months on the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana, painting 36 portraits of tribal members. Over the years Reiss painted more than 250 works depicting Native Americans. Similar paintings by Reiss became known more widely beginning in the 1920 and to the 1950s, when the Great Northern Railway commissioned Reiss to do paintings of the Blackfeet which were then distributed widely as lithographed reproductions on Great Northern calendars. The first print is titled, "The Sign Talkers" and shows two Blackfeet tribe members doing hand signals with each other. The man in the background is wearing a large feather headdress and a white tanned hide shirt. The man in the foreground is not wearing a shirt and appears to be learning from the man in the background. The bottom left of the print reads, "Winold Reiss / ©1939 Great Northern Ry. St. Paul, U.S.A", while the very bottom reads, "The Sign Talkers - Blackfeet Braves - Glacier National Park - Painting by Winold Reiss". The back of the frame features an extensive write-up on the Sign Talkers. The second in this lot is titled, "Chief Yellow Kidney" and shows Chief Yellow Kidney sitting on the ground wrapped in a red and black trade blanket, holding a large stick with braided hair on it. The bottom of the print reads, "Original Portrait by Winold Reiss, New York / Chief Yellow Kidney - Glacier National Park / © Great Northern RY. St. Paul, U.S.A." in black lettering. The right side of the print shows the artist signature reading, "Winold Reiss" in black lettering. Both are set in a wood frame with one being painted gold. "The Sign Talkers" visible art measures 20 5/16" L x 11 3/8" W, while the entire piece measures 21 7/8" L x 13" W x 15/16" D. The "Chief Yellow Kidney" visible art measures 19 1/4" L x 12 3/4" W, while the entire piece measures 20 3/4" L x 14 5/16" W x 15/16" D. They have a collective weight of 5 pounds and 12 ounces.

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