Mississippi and Arkansas Rivers

Description

Bodmer made a quick sketch of a steamer on the Mississippi from the deck of the Homer near the mouth of the Arkansas River. Curiously, the boat is not mentioned in the title, which was derived from a partial inscription on the sketch itself. Even more curious is the head of a man, apparently a slave, seen in profile at the extreme upper right of the drawing. Bodmer later mentioned to Maximilian that in New Orleans he had seen a packet of slaves bound for Mobile, Alabama, but aside from this sketch he made no studies of blacks.