A Muskrat

Description

Maximilian's account mentions that the first snowfall of the season occurred at Fort Union on October 15. Two days earlier he had noted that several animals had been brought into the fort for his inspection, including a number of muskrats, ducks, and geese. Bodmer's watercolor of a muskrat, although undated, may have been done at about this time. In addition to his animal studies, the artist also produced several Indian portraits before departing downriver for Fort Clark near modern Bismarck, North Dakota, on October 30.