A Royal Connection:
From the Wild (North) West to Westminster

In her illustrated talk, art historian Karen McWhorter discusses the relationship between Charlie Russell and members of the British Royal Family forged in Canada in the 1910s. To trace the roots of this intriguing connection, McWhorter explores the artist’s early adventures in the Canadian backcountry, his interest in Canadian subjects for his paintings, and his experiences around the 1919 Calgary Stampede. Ultimately, two of Russell’s most important Canadian canvases would end up in the collections of Edward, Prince of Wales (later, Duke of Windsor), and Arthur, Duke of Connaught. McWhorter illuminates the story of how these paintings were acquired and subsequently stewarded over one hundred years, a transatlantic tale that involves the discovery a major, yet little-known Russell oil painting.

Karen B. McWhorter is Scarlett Curator of Western American Art at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West. She oversees the Whitney Western Art Museum and develops installations, interpretation, and programming. Since 2015, McWhorter has directed seven traveling exhibitions including Albert Bierstadt: Witness to a Changing West (2018). She has coordinated four all-day symposia, has contributed to six university press catalogues, and lectures widely. She has served as a consultant, art show juror, and grant reviewer. McWhorter’s areas of expertise include nineteenth century artist-explorers, American landscape painters, the Taos Society of Artists, and contemporary western American artists. McWhorter holds an MA in Art History from University of Colorado, Boulder.