Custer's Last Rally Book

“CUSTER’S LAST RALLY” (1879-1881)

Artist John Mulvany Written by Elena Von Kohn

“CUSTER’S LAST RALLY” (1879-1881)

Elena Von Kohn International Art Broker

Historic National Treasure

“CUSTER’S LAST RALLY” Painting 11 feet x 22 feet, artist John Mulvany (1839-1906 )

ArtFortune LLC At the time of publication this painting is for sale.

Please contact us for full details.

Elena Von Kohn (602) 370-7521 info@artfortune.com

Table of Contents FOREWORD

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SOLDIERS FIGHT FOR THEIR LIFE

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THE TALE OF CUSTER’S TRAGIC LAST BATTLE

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WALT WHITMAN’S EMOTIONAL TRIBUTE

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WOUNDED WARRIOR HORSE

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FIGURE’S SHADOWS OF THE PAST

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A BRIEF LOOK AT COOKE

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REMEMBERING KEOGH

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THE LEGEND OF SITTING BULL

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“HIS-HORSE-IS-CRAZY” STORY

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WOODEN LEG’S RECOUNT OF THE BATTLE

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REFLECTIONS ON THOMAS WARD CUSTER

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BASED ON A TRUE STORY

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THE LIFE OF JOHN MULVANY

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JOHN MULVANY’S PAINTINGS

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WELCOME TO THE GALLERY

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CUSTER’S LAST RALLY PROVENANCE

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HISTORICAL TIMELINE OF THE MASTERPIECE

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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REFERENCES & SOURCES

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Foreword

by Elena Von Kohn

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ne of the most exciting things that an Art Consultant, Historian and Appraiser can ever experience is to be a part of history. Like Robert Simon and Alex Parish who found the missing Leonardo Davinci’s “Salvator Mundi” at an estate sale in New Orleans that later sold for $450 million, I too found myself at the center of an iconic discovery.

In early 2019 a client contacted me to broker a work that had been in storage for quite some time. What I found to my utmost surprise when I went to inspect the piece was that this painting was indeed the missing John Mulvany painting “Custer’s Last Rally.” You cannot even imagine what an overwhelming feeling it was to be a part of this discovery as I stared down at the massive oil on heavy canvas painting that measured 11 ft x 20 ft.

Inch by inch as I unrolled the work and examined the masterful strokes and felt the emotional intensity of the work I knew that I had found something special indeed. One could even say, sacred.

“Custer’s Last Rally” is a National Treasure that painstakingly detailed the horrific battle of Little Big Horn. A battle that would become known as one of the most historic in Early American History. It is my great honor to present this book to the public to share the true passion, pageantry and history of this seminal painting.

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“CUSTER’S LAST RALLY” oil on canvas 20 feet x 11 feet

“Custer’s Last Rally” Overview Monumental 1881 painting

by John Mulvany (c. 1839-1906) Mural-style oil on heavy canvas.

Signed lower right.

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his historic monumental work, is the first major work of art and the oldest surviving work to depict the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876. After completion of the work, it was exhibited throughout the country and Europe including the World’s Fair.

Originally owned by food mogul H. J. Heinz.

The monumental mural-style painting shows the last battle of the 7th Cavalry led by General Armstrong Custer, and the catastrophic situation where the soldiers were massively outnumbered. Custer is the central figure shown as standing below his favorite horse, in the middle of the barricade formed by the few soldiers who remained for the final hopeless struggle, surrounded by Indians. Kneeling near him on the ground is his wounded friend, Captain Cooke. Artist John Mulvany studied at the National Academy of Design in Manhattan, then worked for the prominent Civil War-era photographers Mathew Brady and Alexander Gardner before going to Europe to study painting. He returned in 1871 and traveled westward, gaining a national reputation for his paintings of the American West. The work took

two years to complete.

Mulvany began painting in 1879 after conducting extensive research, visiting the scene of the massacre and acquainting himself with the habits of the Sioux Indians by visiting their lodges and speaking with captive braves.

He also studied the dress and equipment of the U.S. Cavalry and obtained portraits and descriptions of General Custer and his officers.

The work has undergone two restorations, with the last appraisal citing it was in extraordinary condition with no major cracks, flaws or outstanding damage. It also states that all restoration has been handled with the best of care and has no significant effect on the overall quality, worth or historical value. In his 2009 appraisal, Paul Rossi, western art expert, historian and former director of the Gilcrease Museum, declared the work to be “an invaluable collector's piece in American Western art and a true national treasure.” He added, “No other event in American history has captured the imagination of people so entirely than Custer’s last fight.” “The painting illustrates well the valor in the face of doom shown by the troopers of the 7th,” said Tom Burks, former curator of the Texas Ranger Museum in Waco, TX. “This painting has been famous from the date of its inception to the present. It has been exhibited in some of the most famous galleries and museums, including Fort Worth's Amon Carter Museum.”

After its completion, the painting was exhibited throughout the United States, including the World’s Fair, creating a sensation everywhere it appeared. When food mogul, H. J. Heinz, purchased it in 1898, he extended the tour to include Europe. It toured for a total of 17 years from the late 1800’s to the early 1900’s.

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Heinz eventually had it hung in his corporate building. Published accounts were laudatory.

Even Walt Whitman was enamored with the work.

Dimensions: 11ft x 20ft Artist or Maker: John Mulvany Date: 1881 Condition Report: excellent Exhibited: Toured the US and Europe for 17 years 1893 Worlds Fair Amon Carter Museum Pink Palace, Memphis Tenn.

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I sat for over an hour before the picture completely absorbed in the first view. A vast canvas, I should say twenty or twenty-two feet by twelve all crowded and yet not crowded conveying such a vivid play of color. It takes a little time to get used to it. There are no tricks, there is no throwing of shades in masses, it is all at first painfully real, overwhelming, needs good nerves to look at it too.

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hat is the quote from Walt Whitman’s passionate article from the New York Tribune about first viewing “Custer’s Last Rally.” This iconic painting often misquoted as “Custer’s Last Stand” was created by John Mulvany who was born in Ireland in 1844 and who later came to New York City in 1856 in search of fame and fortune. Mulvany had several residences having lived in Cincinnati, St. Louis and Chicago before moving west to follow his destiny.

Mulvany studied at the National Academy of Design in Manhattan, then worked for the prominent Civil War-era photographers Mathew Brady and Alexander Gardner before going to Europe to study painting. What some may not know is that Mulvany was not only a painter of war, he was actually a soldier as well, who served with the Union Army during the Civil War. After the war ended, Mulvany once again crossed the pond and landed in Dusseldorf, Munich and later in Antwerp to train with the great master painters there. It was here that he was able to hone his skills and perfect his art studying with painters well known for battlefield art. It was in Europe where Mulvany won his first awards for his paintings. In Ireland, the country of his birth he is most known for his painting “The Battle of Aughrim” which was painted in 1885 and was displayed in Dublin in 2010.

“Custer’s Last Rally” depicts a panoramic view of the horrific and tragic battle of Little Big Horn. The tension between the Native American Indians and the U.S. Government was so volatile that by 1876 more than 10,000 Sioux and Cheyenne tribesmen had come to the camp on Little Big Horn River which

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they referred to as Greasy-Grass in defiance of the U.S. War Department’s order to return to their reservations. They had been driven there by their anger over the U.S. Government’s reneging on their Treaty Agreement in South Dakota when gold had been found in South Dakota’s Black Hills.

The violent battle was led by Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull on June 25th, 1876 in what is now Eastern Montana where Custer and more than 262 of his dedicated soldiers lost their lives. A battle in which not a single white eyewitness survived, leaving the ultimate retelling of the battle to the Oglala Sioux Nation and Cheyenne Indians.

This single event has achieved almost mythic proportions with hundreds if not thousands of artists, poets, composers and historians fighting to be remembered for their artistic interpretation and imprint upon this pivotal event in American history.

That now infamous battle marked a significant point in American history in the country’s pioneering move westward. Lt. Colonel George Armstrong Custer of the seventh cavalry is the central figure in the painting. Kneeling near him on the ground is his wounded friend, Captain Cooke and surrounding them are all his soldiers caught in a life and death battle for their lives. Massively out-numbered Custer’s soldiers were slaughtered and what is conveyed so eloquently yet tragically in this piece is the very death of the pony soldier.

Mulvany waited a long time for his fame. This iconic oil on heavy canvas muralstyle painting that measures a monumentally impressive 11ft x 20ft and is signed in the lower right, which was painstakingly created in

Kansas City between 1879-1881 is the oldest surviving work to depict the Battle of Little BigHorn.

It was first presented to the public in 1881 in the East during which it was said full orchestras would passionately play songs evoking such images of war, death and heartbreak to heighten the emotional experience upon first seeing the painting.

Within the decade H. J. Heinz would pay a massive sum at the time of $25,000 for the painting which would eventually hang in his corporate offices. A very smart investment as it has previously been valued in access of 18 million.

For a period of time the painting was displayed in a museum that had been built to showcase the work after it had been purchased

by Francis Hickman, publisher of the Cotton Trade Journal. In 1967 the Memphis Pink Palace Museum acquired it and was commissioned to find a larger museum to provide more public access, and then subsequently loaned it to the Amon Carter Museum in Fort Worth, Texas for a special exhibit.

This painting is truly iconic and it has been referred to as “an invaluable collector’s piece in American Western art and a true national treasure” by the former director of the Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa." The accolades for this work seem to reverberate through time.

The Kansas Historical Quarterly in 1946 quoted Walt Whitman’s eloquent account of the painting; “The many soldiers, their faces and attitudes, the carbines, the broad-brimmed Western hats, the powder-smoke in puffs, the dying horses with their rolling eyes almost human in their agony, the clouds of warbonneted Sioux in the background, 17

the figures of Custer and Cook, with indeed, the whole scene, inexpressible, dreadful, yet with an attraction and beauty that will remain forever in my memory,” And more recently Tom Burks former curator of the Texas Ranger Museum in Waco, Texas said; “The painting illustrates well the valor in the face of doom shown by the troopers of the 7th. This painting has been famous from the date of its inception to the present. It has been exhibited in some of the most famous galleries and museums, including Fort Worth's Amon Carter Museum.”

The public was so enthralled with this painting that received such unequivocal praise and notoriety whenever it was shown that it toured publically for over 17 years to paying audiences from the late 1800’s to the early 1900’s in both the United States and Europe and was even displayed at the 1893 World’s Fair. To enable his painting to reach an even wider audience he created a smaller version which could be reprinted as a lithograph for mass distribution. That smaller painting is currently in the Woolaroc Museum in Bartlesville, Oklahoma and a lithograph of the piece is in the Kansas Museum of History.

It was in the summer of 1879 that he made that benchmark visit to the battlefield which would be the birthplace of this epic painting. To enable him to fully capture the spirit of this event he took great pains to create detailed sketches and layouts of the battlefield and invested the time to visit the Sioux reservation and to meet and interview with Indians who had been captured and were being held at Ft. Leavenworth. His passion to understand the Sioux to be able to accurately 18

depict them was self-evident. Mulvany’s research was even more extensive than this though, he immersed himself in learning all about the proper dress attire and military equipment of the cavalry and he secured photographs of Custer to work from. Often cited for its historical accuracy to the smallest detail it even included Custer’s recent haircut which he’d received just before the battle and showed him wearing his buckskins and toting his revolver and saber.

Sadly, Mulvany’s good fortune did not last and his legacy was almost forgotten were it not for the historical and ground-breaking “Custer’s Last Rally” which some say had garnered him a small fortune. Mulvany was an innovative artist who was way ahead of his time. By 1906 the steam had run out of his notoriety as he was abel ever to top the acclaim from this painting. He succumbed to the bottle and died a very sad death ultimately taking his own life by drowning himself in the East River in New York.

For many years there was incredible speculation that this painting had been lost forever because no one knew where it was. It had not seen the light of day for decades because it had been quietly stowed away in the attic of a collector of western memorabilia residing in the rural back-country of Texas who had no idea of the true value of the painting having acquired it as ‘payment in lieu’ for a past debt.

It wasn’t until internationally acclaimed art consultant Elena Von Kohn was hired to examine the piece in person and to investigate and research the history and provenance when she discovered it to be the mythic missing painting.

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“

It is very tonic to me… it has an ethic purpose below all, as all great art must have.

Walt Whitman

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This extraordinary painting has gone through two extensive and masterfully executed conservation restorations to revive this beautiful painting back to peak condition. A painting which Walt Whitman said so eloquently, “It is very tonic to me… it has an ethic purpose below all, as all great art must have.”

This historical treasure is in a private collection and has not been available to be seen publicly for far too long. This iconic painting is now available for sale and interested buyers should Contact Elena Von Kohn, International Art Dealer at info@ArtFortune.com or call 602-370-7521.

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Figure’s shadows of the past It’s true...

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George Armstrong Custer

eorge Armstrong Custer was a United States Army officer and cavalry commander who was born on December 5, 1839. He served in both the Civil War and the American Indian Wars and died in the infamous Battle of Little Big Horn on June 25, 1876. He was educated at the prestigious West Point Academy and graduated in 1861. His leadership abilities were noticed by both General George B. McClellan and General Alfred Pleasonton. At the young age of only 23 he was brevetted to the position of Brigadier General for a group of volunteer fighters and within a few days was tasked with fighting the Battle of Gettysburg where he commanded the Michigan Cavalry Brigade and won even though his troops were greatly outnumbered.

And, in historic fashion, he received the first flag of truce from the Confederates when his division was responsible for blocking the Army of Northern Virginia’s final retreat.

At the conclusion of the Civil War Custer was made a Lieutenant Colonel in the Regular Army and was commanded to head west to join in the fight against the Indians in the American Indian Wars. Custer was killed in the tragic battle at Little Big Horn where he died alongside over 261 of his pony soldiers. This epic battle has come to be called “Custer’s Last Battle” and John Mulvany’s iconic painting titled “Custer’s Last Rally” came to be one of the most talked about paintings of all time having captured the bloody siege in incredible realism.

William Winer Cooke

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illiam Winer Cooke was a United States military officer who was born in Ontario, Canada, in the town of Mount Pleasant on May 29th, 1846. At the age of 14 he moved to Buffalo, New York to continue his studies. Upon graduation, in 1863 he enlisted in the 24th New York Cavalry in Niagara Falls, New York. He served in both the American Civil War and the Black Hills War. During his career he was awarded several brevet promotions, first to captain then to a major and finally to a lieutenant colonel for his meritorious service during the war. After the Civil War ended he joined the 1st New York Provisional Cavalry and applied for a Regular Army commission.

By 1871, he became the regimental adjutant under Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer.

During his time under Custer, he became close friends with Lt. Colonel Custer’s younger brother Thomas Custer. So tight was he with Custer and his family that he was also considered a member of the "Custer Clan" a tight-knit group of Custer's closest and most trusted friends and relatives.

Cooke was considered an excellent armsmen with a good shot. As shown in the picture above, he was known for his long side whiskers, known as dundrearies which he always wore. Cooke died at Little Big Horn on June 25th, 1876.

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Myles Walter Keogh

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yles Walter Keogh was an Irishman born in County Carlow, Ireland in 1840 who served in the Irish Battalion of the Papal Army of Pius IX before immigrating to the United States. Once in the United States he was issued a commission working on the staff of General Shields and then went on to serve under General George Stoneman. He and the General were both captured at the Macon Raid in July of 1864. He served with Stoneman to the end of the war and was eventually bestowed with a Brevet rank of Lt. Colonel. Keogh was a highly regarded soldier and he died fighting alongside Custer at the Battle of Little Big Horn on June 25th, 1876.

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Sitting Bull

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Tatanka-Iyotanka

atanka-Iyotanka which means Sitting Bull was a Hunkpapa Lakota Indian Chief and holy man born in 1831 along the Grand River in South Dakota. Sitting Bull’s courageous leadership positioned him well to lead the Indian resistance against the United States government as they began to break their treaties with the Native Americans when it was discovered there was gold in the Black Hills of Dakota territory.

Legend has it that Sitting Bull had a prophetic dream about three weeks before the Battle of Little Big Horn where he saw many soldiers “as thick as grasshoppers” laying fallen in the Lakota camp. This was considered a foreshadowing of a coming victory against the U.S. Army. His people therefor felt it was the prophecy coming true when the Indians beat Custer’s men at the Battle of Little Big Horn. After that terrible defeat the United States Army at the outrage of the American people ratched the pressure on the Indians and sent out thousands more soldiers to force the Indians to surrender and move onto reservations. Sitting Bull refused to surrender and in 1877 moved his loyal band of resistant fighters west to Wood Mountain in the North-West Territory where they remained until 1881 when they ultimately did surrender and moved back to the U.S Territory.

Sitting Bull died on December 15th,1890 on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation. It was by the order of James McLaughlin that he be arrested that resulted in the tragic circumstances that led to his death. Fearing that Sitting Bull would support a special ceremony being prepared called the Ghost Dance the order was put forth to arrest Sitting Bull.

Sadly, Sitting Bull had actually had a dream that foretold his death five years earlier. In a dream he heard a meadowlark say “Your own people, Lakotas will kill you.”

It was the bullet from a Lakota policeman that hit him in the head and killed him.

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hašúŋke Witkó which means “HisHorse-Is-Crazy” was a Lakota leader born in the Black Hills of South Dakota in 1841 whose father was a Oglala Sioux Shaman. Crazy Horse named after his father

Thašúŋke Witkó

who shared the same name was fiercely committed to preserving the Indian way of life for his people. Crazy Horse had his own beliefs and rhythms and did not strictly adhere to certain customs. He left his tribe and headed off 26

on a vision quest during which he fasted for two days and had a vision about how he was to conduct himself during war. It included not wearing the traditional war bonnet and instead to wear a single feather and that he was never to take anything for himself when in battle. He followed these rules and a few others until the end of his life, never swaying from this prophetic warning.

He is known for several key battles including the Fetterman Fight in 1866 and the Battle of Little Big Horn.

His heroic leadership earned him great respect among his people and his enemies. Crazy Horse died on September 5, 1877 from a bayonet wound while supposedly resisting arrest at Camp Robinson in Nebraska.

He is one of the most iconic Native American warriors of all time.

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Your own people, Lakotas will kill you

Wooden leg

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ooden Leg was a Cheyenne warrior who was born near the Cheyenne River in 1858 who was originally named Eats From His Hand but who later took the name Wooden Leg after his uncle for his ability to walk great lengths with incredible ease, which may have been due to his incredible height that gave him this ability as he stood at a towering 6’ 3”!

Wooden leg fought in a number of significant skirmishes with the United States Army during his life. In 1876 on the early morning of March 17th while peacefully encamped along the Powder River in Montana his tribe was attacked by U.S. soldiers under

the leadership of Colonel Joseph Reynolds. The attack came to be known as the Battle of Powder River.

Thomas Ward Custer Forced to leave their camp they had to walk for several days to reach the Oglala Sioux village where they George Crook.

In that battle they were fighting over would seek refuge and be given food and 1,000 US soldiers as well as several hundred shelter under Crazy Horse’s leadership.

Crow and Shoshone Warriors who were Sadly, several Cheyenne tribe members fighting alongside the US soldiers. This battle froze to death on the long trek. In June of the was said to have been a strategic victory that same year, Wooden Leg fought in the Battle of ultimately led to Custer’s defeat at the Battle of the Rosebud. There he fought against soldiers the Little Big Horn which occurred 8 days later. under the leadership of Brigadier General 27

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homas Ward Custer was United States Army officer of German descent born in New Rumley, Ohio on March 15th, 1845. He was the brother of Lt. Colonel George Armstrong Custer and in September of 1861 he enlisted in the Union Army and was assigned to the 21st Ohio Volunteer Infantry.

He participated in numerous battles and went on to become a decorated soldier who was a two-time recipient of the Medal of Honor during the American Civil War. He was the first soldier to receive such an honor. In the entire Civil War this was awarded to only four soldiers and sailors in total. As such, it was indeed a mark of significant distinction.

He died at the Battle of Little Big Horn on June 25th,1876. Boston Custer was the youngest brother of Lt. Colonel George Armstrong Custer and Captain Thomas Custer.

He was born on October 31,1848. Tragically he perished alongside his two brothers at the Battle of Little Big Horn. Boston worked as a civilian contractor for the Army and served as the forage master for the U.S. 7th Cavalry Regiment which was led by his brother George. His duties included working as a guide, forage, packer and scout during the assault on the Lakota Indians at the Battle of Little Big Horn. He died during the Battle of Little Big Horn on June 25th, 1876.

with Margaret Custer while she was visiting her brother in 1870 and soon married Margaret and became Custer’s brother-in-law. Among the troops, Calhoun had come to acquire the name “The Adonis of the Seventh” due to his handsome physique. Calhoun perished alongside the entire “Custer Clan” at the Battle of Big Horn on June 25th, 1876.

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enry Armstrong Reed (April 27, 1858 – June 25, 1876) was born on April 27th, 1858 in Monroe, Michigan. He was the nephew of Lt. Colonel George Armstrong Custer, Thomas Custer and Boston Custer. Coming under the influence of a deeply military family he found himself engaged in the military. While not a soldier, he was hired as a civilian to work as a beef herder for the 7th Cavalry which was under the command of his illustrious uncle George Armstrong Custer.

1876 Boston Custer

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ames Calhoun (brother in law) was born to a wealthy Scottish-American family who had made their fortune as merchants. In 1864 he chose to abandon the family business and walk away from the merchant life to join the Union Army much to the dismay of his family. By July of 1867 he had been commissioned as a second lieutenant in the infantry. He met and fell in love 28

Henry Armstrong Reed

James Calhoun

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Based on a true Story...

“Custer’s Last Rally” is the masterpiece that is based on a real historical event.

This is the greatest value of the painting.

he Battle of Little Big Horn is one of the most epic battles in American history. It was fought on June 25th, 1876 and has remained one of the most captivating battles for historians and readers alike. It was the most decisive victory for the Native Americans in the Indian American War. This battle cemented Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer into the annals of American Military history. Custer was in charge of the 7th Cavalry at the time and they fought against the Lakota Sioux and Cheyenne and Arapaho warriors.

Some writers have portrayed Custer as being lustful and war hungry and imply that he pushed for the battle against the guidance of his scouts. That is one of many myths about this battle that people have come to embrace. Custer had wanted to wait, but his guides counseled him that the Lakota had seen the smoke from their encampment and it was therefore wiser to attack that day instead of waiting. Custer wanted to wait until June 26 to attack. He told Half Yellow Face, “I want to wait until it is dark, and then we will march.” The Crow scout replied, “These Sioux…have seen the smoke of our camp,” and argued that they must attack immediately. Custer had no idea just how many Indians had come to fight with Sitting Bull that fateful day.

By the Spring of 1876 there were more than 10,000 Native Americans at the encampment. A homestead they referred to as Greasy Grass.

It was later discovered by researchers that before the battle, Sitting Bull had a dream in which he saw many soldiers, “as thick as grasshoppers,” falling on the battlefield. He and his people took this as a foreshadowing of a major victory in which a large number of soldiers would be killed.

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reatly outnumbered, Custer, his two younger brothers, his nephew and his brother-in-law all died that day. In total 262 soldiers were killed in that battle.

Tensions had been mounting for some time over the betrayal of the US Government and the treaty they signed with the Native American Indians when it was discovered there was gold in the Black Hills area of South Dakota. Some of the most famous Indians to participate in the battle were Crazy Horse, Sitting Bull and Wooden Leg. While the battle took the lives of so many soldiers, the Lakota and Cheyenne Indians lost only 31 warriors, six women and four children.This was attributed to their style of fighting and their choice to remain in strategic points protected by the surrounding gulleys that were carved into the landscape that protected them from gunfire. On June 17th, Custer’s soldiers first approached the encampment in three columns but were forced back by over 1,200 of the Indian warriors. Five days later General Alfred Terry ordered Custer to move out to scout out any enemy troops. In a fateful decision, Custer decided to press on rather than wait for reinforcements to join him on the assault of the encampment. It was recounted that he said “Boys, hold your horses, there are plenty down there for us all.”

Six hundred and seventy men entered Little Big Horn Valley in preparation for the assault on the encampment. Research shows that the 7th Cavalry on June 25, 1876, consisted of about 31 officers, 586 soldiers, 33 Indian scouts and 20 civilian employees and they did not all die as one of the prevailing myths suggests. When the firing ended and the smoke cleared away it was revealed that 262 were

dead, 68 were wounded and six later died of their wounds. Custer’s Battalion – C, E, F, I and L companies – were all wiped out, but the bulk of the seven other companies under the commands of Major Marcus Reno and Captain Frederick Benteen did in fact survive.

Custer’s strategy that day was to split his command into three separate units. He wanted to envelope the enemy. The first siege against the encampment was launched shortly after noon. There were 140 officers and men who were led by Major Marcus Reno, who launched his attack on the bottom of the valley towards the far end of the camp. They were unfortunately pushed back and incurred many casualties, those that did manage to survive pushed hard to scramble to the top of a hill to escape. Custer, who commanded five companies totaling more than 200 men, pushed forward along the ridgeline on the eastern side of the valley and he further subdivided his group into two smaller groups one of which was led by Captain Keogh. Word quickly made its way to Sitting Bull who immediately saw to the safety of the women and children and then set out a large contingent of over 3,000 warriors to attack the 7th Cavalry head on.

In an account by Cheyenne warrior Wooden Leg of his preparations for the battle he said: “I got my paints and my little mirror.

The blue-black circle soon appeared around my face. The red and yellow colorings were applied on all of the skin inside the circle. I combed my hair. It properly should have been oiled and braided neatly, but my father again was saying, `Hurry,' so I just looped a buckskin thong about it and tied it close up against the back of my head, to float loose from there.”

What some may not be aware of was 31

“

When the firing ended and the smoke cleared away it was revealed that 262 were dead...

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that there was a distinctive Irish influence upon Custer and the 7th Cavalry and that one hundred and three Irish soldiers died at Little Big Horn.

Custer was known for his trademark buckskin jacket, but few know that it was sewn by Sergeant Jermiah Finley from Tipperary. Finley was the regiment’s tailor. And that the song of the 7th Cavalry was the Irish tune, “Garryowen” which Custer had first heard from one of the Irish soldiers who sang it while drunk. It was said that Custer so loved the tune that he soon found himself singing it and shortly thereafter it became the official song of the 7th Cavalry.

It was in fact the last song played before Custer and his men separated from General Terry’s column at Powder River as they set off to the encampment at Little Big Horn. The battlefield was quite a devastating scene. One soldier upon coming to the battlefield to help with the burials of the soldiers described it as a “scene of ghastly and sickening horror” as he looked out at the swollen and decomposing remains, many of which had been mutilated which was a customary part of the warriors fighting style.

They believed that by mutilating their enemies it would stop them from having a joyful afterlife. The Cheyenne and Lakota removed all of their dead from the battlefield before departing as they knew of the advancing soldiers led by Brigadier General Alfred Terry and Colonel John Gibbon on June 27th.

The stories of the brutality of this conflict made its way to the American people and much pressure was then put upon the military to handle these ‘savages.’ Tragically within approximately five years of the Battle of Little Big Horn almost the entire Sioux and Cheyenne Nations would be confined to reservations.

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“

Custer's widow, Libbie was said to have swooned at the sight of it "Custer's Last Rally, the Sad Life of John Mulvany"

by Michael Nunnally

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John Mulvany biography (1839-1906)

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ohn Mulvany (c. 1839 – 1906) was an American painter born in Diralagh, County Meath, Ireland in 1839. His parents Francis Lee and Thomas Mulvany were tenant farmers.

His beginnings were very meager, but he had big aspirations of fame and fortune. He is best known as an artist of the American West who painted the iconic and monumental (11ft x 20ft) image of General George Custer’s defeat at Little Big Horn by the Oglala Sioux and Cheyenne Indians in 1876. The massive painting which took two years to create measures 11ft x 20ft and is titled Custer’s Last Rally. He was also a prolific portrait painter and continued to paint those throughout the rest of his life.

Having lived through the horrors of the Irish Famine, Mulvany decided that his fate lay elsewhere and he immigrated to New York City in 1851 at the young age of only twelve years of age. One of his first jobs was working as a tow boy on the Erie Canal. It was there that he came to the attention of Professor Juan Wandersford at the National Academy of Design in New York

City. By 1859 he had enrolled in classes at the illustrious Academy before moving to Washington, D.C. to work for Mathew Brady by 1863. After the Civil War, Mulvany worked for Samuel B. Fassett, a leading photographer in Chicago.

Mulvany’s Civil War paintings were praised for their realism - paintings such as Sheridan’s Ride at Winchester painted in 1896, McPherson and Revenge created in 1889, as well as Battle of Shiloh and The Death of General Mulligan.

Mulvany was hungry for success and submitted his paintings to exhibitions in New York, Chicago and Philadelphia. In a stroke of luck, Mulvany found a patron in St. Louis, Samuel B. Coale, who provided the finances for him to study in Europe where he enrolled in the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Munich. It was there that he was able to study with the esteemed painters; Alexander von Wagner, De Kaiser and Carl Theodor von Piloty. He then later moved to Paris to study with Jean-Leon Gerome. It was also said that he spent some time in Antwerp studying the Rembrandt paintings. It was there in Europe where Mulvany won his first awards for his paintings.

In Ireland, the country of his birth he is most known for his painting “The Battle of Aughrim” which was painted in 1885 and was displayed in Dublin in 2010.

After returning from Europe Mulvany set up studios in numerous cities including: Eldon, Iowa; St Louis, Missouri; Denver, Colorado; and Louisville, Kentucky. He was primarily painting portraits and Western themed paintings. In 1876 he exhibited Preliminary Trial of a Horse thief in New York City which was reported to have sold for 35

$5000. This painting which won national recognition established him as an accomplished Western painter. Other paintings which received recognition for their authentic western theme were Lynch Law – Comrade’s Appeal 1877, Scouts of the Yellowstone, 1877 and Back to the Wigwam 1881. The Magistrate in this trial, seated in the center of the picture, is John F. Cartwright (1827–1893). The Des Moines Register published this picture in their Sunday edition in about 1954.

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n 1876 when news of General George Custer’s fatal defeat by the Sioux Indians at the Battle of Little Big Horn reached the East, Mulvany instinctively recognized the significance of this historic event and headed west to Montana to create what would become his most iconic work.

It was around 1882 that Mulvany received a commission from the Irish Club of Chicago to paint the Battle of Aughrim a heartbreaking battle and major loss for the Irish in 1691. John traveled to Ireland in 1882. It would take him three years to complete the work, finishing it in 1885. This painting went missing and was presumed lost until it showed up for sale on the online auction site Ebay in 2010 by a dealer who thought it represented an American battle scene. It ended up being purchased by an Irish art gallery which exhibited it in Dublin and was subsequently sold.

He was 58 years old when he finally settled in the Williamsburg area of Brooklyn, New York in 1897 where he resided for the rest of his life. He continued his artistic career

painting six known major works, as well as a smaller duplicate of Custer’s Last Rally which was created to be able to print lithographs to enable his painting to be seen by a wider audience.

Mulvany married Ellen Welch in 1890 but divorced two years later. He was also romantically linked to Lucy Deere whom he met around 1880 and whom he contacted before his death in 1906.

It was said that Mulvany sketched up until two weeks before his death. His health had declined greatly as he was suffering from both vertigo and throat cancer, which was probably related to his life-long struggle with alcoholism.

Mulvany died at the age of 66 by drowning in early May of 1906. The press declared his death a suicide. Mulvany was buried in Calvary Cemetary in Queens, New York.

Mulvany’s artistic style influenced the work of later artist’s William Merritt Chase and Frederick Remington. He is noted for bringing an international perspective to American Western Art.

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John Mulvany’s paintings

“Perils of the Pony Express” dated 1888 dimensions: 36.25" x 29" 37

“Battle of Aughrim”, n/d

“Scouts of the Yellowstone” dated 1882, dimensions: 30" x 25"

“The preliminary trial of a horse thief scene in a western judge's court”, dimensions: 21" x 28.5" 38

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“Custer’s Last Rally” depicted in this photo was not displayed in this setting nor frame and is simply a representation of what it could look like displayed in such an environment and with such a Frame.

PROVENANCE

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1879 - 1955 Custer’s Last Rally Provenance Chronology and life of the Masterpiece

1879 - 1881 - John Mulvany's ground-breaking oil on heavy canvas mural-style painting "Custer's Last Rally" that measures a monumentally impressive 11 ft x 20 ft was painstakingly created in Kansas City between 1879-1881 and is the oldest surviving work to depict the Battle of Little BigHorn. Mulvany's signature can be found in the lower right.

Honoring his mission for achieving historical accuracy Mulvany made several alterations to the painting after its completion. He went back and reduced the size of Custer's stature and moved the saber from his left hand and shortened his hair to reflect the fresh haircut Custer had gotten just before the battle.

1898 - H. J. Heinz loved the painting and paid $25,000 a massive sum at the time and had it displayed in multiple locations.

1926 - 1955 - Over the years it has had periods of exhibition interspersed with long years in storage. In 1926, it was on display at the Heinz Ocean City Pier in Ocean City, New Jersey. In the 1950s it was shown for several years at the Memphis Pink Palace Museum and then spent an unknown number of years in storage before being sold to Francis Hickman publisher in 1955.

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1855 - 1989 1955 - Francis Hickman publisher of The Cotton Trade Journal purchased the painting in 1955 and built a museum to display the massive painting.

1967 - 1980's - It was displayed at the Amon Carter Museum in Fort Worth, where it was to be the centerpiece in their "Battle of the Little Bighorn" exhibition.

It changed hands many times in the following years, sometimes displayed in obscure museums and sometimes kept in storage.

1989 - Robert Sanderson bought the painting in early of 1989 before selling it to Ray Niemeyer later that year.

Between 1990 -1991 Ray hired an art restorer from the St. Louis Art Museum to do some minor restorations on the painting. Those restorations were professionally done and completed.

In 2004 Ray hired Paul Rossi, the former Director of the Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa. OK and a widely recognized expert in Western art to do a full appraisal of the painting. That appraisal was completed in August 2004 and Rossi valued the painting between $5,500,000 to $6,000,000. In his appraisal he said Mulvany's work was: “The first major painting depicting the Battle of the Little Bighorn and is today the oldest surviving painting. At the very least, it is a national treasure depicting a famous event on the western American frontier.”

In an interview at the time, Rossi said he had appraised the painting for a former owner in 1984, when he estimated its value at about half the 2005 worth. He admitted that his initial appraisal was based mainly as a work of art, and only secondarily as a work of historical importance. Between the first and the second appraisal he stated that his research into both the history of the painting and the painter

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1989 - 2020 convinced him that: “Custer's Last Rally” is in a class by itself. I have been professionally associated with western American history and art for the past 54 years,” he wrote in the appraisal. “This is the most important Western American work of art. in my opinion, to be offered for sale in all those years.”

In 2009, Ray requested that Rossi update his 2004 appraisal. He completed that updated appraisal in November 2009 and the market value of Custer's Last Rally at that time was determined to be between $9,000,000 and $10,000,000.

2012 - In May of 2012 Charles Trois a 73-year old Fredericksburg. Texas collector purchased the painting from Ray Niemeyer for a combination of land and cash. The 62 acres offered up in the negotiation was in Lajitas, Brewster County, Texas and was the property on which the filming of "Street of Laredo" took place, which was the sequel to "Lonesome Dove." The land deal included mineral rights to an extensive number of tunnels under the property where there were large crystal geode mines estimated to be worth over $10 million. Trois was the one-time guitarist for a briefly-famous 1960's rock band called Soul Survivors best known for their 1967 tune "Expressway To Your Heart. The song hit #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. Trois owned 'Custer's Last Rally- until August of 2020.

2019 - The painting was meticulously restored by Julie Espinosa-Orosco of Las Negras Studios in Dallas, Texas.

2020 - In August of 2020 the current owners purchased -Custer's Last Rally." The current market value for the painting is $18,250,000.00 by Robert H. Baker certified appraiser and owner of Go Green Antiques and Auctions, Ltd.

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“

This is the original pamphlet created to promote the exhibition of “Custer’s Last Rally” which was displayed at the Heinz Auditorium in Pittsburg, PA in the mid-1920's

”

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Asset Appreciation Historical Timeline of “Custer’s Last Rally” 1879 - 1881 - "Custer's Last Rally" is created by John Mulvany 1898 - H. J. Heinz loved the painting and paid $25,000.00 a massive sum at the time.

1926 - In 1926, it was on display at the Heinz Ocean City Pier in Ocean City, New Jersey.

1950's - In the 1950s it was shown for several years at the Memphis Pink Palace Museum.

1955 - Francis Hickman publisher of The Cotton Trade Journal purchased the painting for an undisclosed sum.

1967 - 1980's - Displayed at the Amon Carter Museum in Fort Worth as the centerpiece in their "Battle of the Little Bighorn" exhibition.

1984 - Paul Rossi, (former Director of the Gilcrease Museum) and expert in Western Art valued the painting between $2,500,000 $3,000,000.

Savvy business man H.J. Heinz knew a good investment when he saw one!

2004 - In August 2004, Paul Rossi update his appraisal between $5,500,000 to $6,000,000.

2009 - In November 2009 Paul Rossi updated appraisal between $9,000,000 and $10,000,000.

2020 - In August of 2020, Robert H. Baker, ISA appraised the painting for $18,250,000.00.

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E

lena Von Kohn is recognized as one of the foremost authorities on fine art from Old Masters to Contemporary. Ifer advice on art valuation as well as provenance and art history research built her reputation as one of the leading fine art experts. Born in Leipzig Germany, Mrs. Von Kohn was educated in Moscow Russia, where she graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Art and Art History from the Moscow Arts University. As a distinguished art historian, collector and art consultant she has over 20 years of experience in the art industry. Elena Von Kohn is a Certified Appraiser and a member of the Certified Appraisers Guild of America as well as USPAP. She specializes in Fine Art, Antiquities, and Collectables.

EDUCATION: Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) Course Completion 2018-2020 Ÿ Certified Appraisers Guild of America (CAGA) —Course Completion 2014 Ÿ Moscow University: Graduate Studies in Fine Art and Art History, Summa Cum Laude — Moscow Russia 1985-1990 Ÿ Kutuzov Prospect High School — Moscow Russia 1975-1985

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PARTIAL LIST OF AFFILIATIONS AND CLIENTS: Ÿ Dr. Drake Duane Estate Collection (Scottsdale, Arizona) Ÿ The Huntington Library & Research Center/Art Collection (Pasadena, California) Ÿ Estate of Baroness Ms. Jacqueline De Verteuil (France & USA) Ÿ The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art Research Department (Sarasota, Florida) Ÿ The Getty Museum & Research Institute (Los Angeles, California) Ÿ Law Office of L. Richard Mabery (Prescott, Arizona) Ÿ Sotheby's New York - 1334 York Ave, Ncw York, NY 10021 Ÿ Sotheby's San Francisco - I Sansome St #750, San Francisco, CA 94104 Ÿ Christie's New York - 20 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10020 Ÿ Christie's Los Angeles - 336 N Camden Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90210 Ÿ Bonham's Los Angeles - 7601 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90046 Ÿ Bonham's New York - 580 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10022 Ÿ Altermann Galleries & Auctioneers (Santa Fe, New Mexico) 345 Camino Del Monte Sol Santa Fe, NM 87501 Ÿ Altermann Galleries (Scottsdale, Arizona) 7172 E Main St, Scottsdale, AZ 85251

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Gerald Peters Galleries (Santa Fe, New Mexico) 1005 Pasco De Peraita, Santa Fe, NM 87501 Gerald Peters Galleries (New York, New York) 24 E 78th St, New York, NY 10075 Leslie Hindman Auctioneers (Chicago, Illinois) 1338 W Lake St, Chicago, IL 60607 Jackson International Auction House (Cedar Falls, Iowa) Childhelp USA (Scottsdale, AZ) Ken & Randy Kendrick (Owners Arizona Diamondbacks) Corporate Art source (Montgomery, AL) Al Molina, Molina Jewelry (Phoenix, AZ) Dr. Brad & Cris Lafferty Collection (Washington DC) Erin Brown Collection (Atlanta, GA) Roberta Kidlike, "I am" interior design Frick Museum Research Library - 10 E 71st St, New York, NY 10021 Sergei Sikorsky Helicopter Inc. The Estate of Caesar DiOrio (New York, NY & Scottsdale, AZ)

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Phoenix Public Library (Phoenix, Arizona) Rotary Club (Scottsdale, Arizona) Metropolitan Club (San Francisco, California) Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix/ Mega Israel Event Desert Highlands Country Club (Scottsdale, AZ) Terraces Retirement Community (Phoenix, AZ)

AWARDS AND NOMINATIONS: Arizona Governors Arts Award / Arizona Commission on the Arts Nominee, 2006 Ÿ Arizona Governors Arts Award / Arizona Commission on the Arts Nominee, 2008 Ÿ Arizona Governors Arts Award / Arizona Commission on the Arts Nominee, 2018 Ÿ

EVENT PARTICIPATIONS: LA Art Show, 2018, 2019, 2020 Ÿ 65th Annual Concourse d'Elegance (Pebble Beach, California) Ÿ Art Basel 2015 VIP (Miami, Florida) Ÿ Art Monaco 2015 VIP (Monte Carlo, Monaco) Ÿ Palm Beach Art & Antiques Show 2015 (West Palm Beach, Florida) Ÿ SELECT SEMINAR AND CONTINUED Ÿ EDUCATION: Ÿ Art and Estate Planning Seminar (Phoenix Art Museum, Phoenix, AZ 2019) Ÿ Art and Legacy Planning: Appraisal and Authentication Phoenix Art Museum, Phoenix, Arizona. Ÿ Estate Tax Repeal/Impacts to Your Estate Plan by Quarks & Brady LLP Law Firm (February 2017 ) Ÿ The Oxford Club, online Education, Tax & Estate Planning Ÿ

MEMBERSHIP: Certified Member: Certified Appraisers Guild of America (CAGA) Ÿ Certified Member: Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) Ÿ Certified Member. Foundation for Appraisal

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CONSULTANT PROJECTS: California Estate and Elder Law Institute, Art Taxation Seminar Ÿ Consultant for Michael Levenberg Buffalo Collection Ÿ Consultant for Katherine Pullen, Allies A.S.I.D.

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SELECTED SPEAKING/ LECTURER ENGAGEMENTS: Ÿ California Estate and Elderly Law, Art Seminar (San Diego, CA) Ÿ West Valley Museum (Surprise, Arizona) Ÿ 5 Art Circle (Phoenix, Arizona)

PUBLISHED WORKS: “The Hidden World of Soviet Impressionists 1940-1960: The Kohn Collection” by Elena Von Kohn

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Book: “Darlene Hammond Photography.

Marilyn Monroe and All Stars.

Secret Photos from the Vault”

LIST OF PUBLICATIONS: Ÿ Phoenix Home and Garden, AZ Magazine Ÿ Art of the West, Magazine Ÿ Arizona Republic, AZ Magazine Ÿ Southwest Art, Magazine Ÿ Art and Antiques, Magazine Ÿ LUXE, Magazine Ÿ Arizona Foothills, Magazine Ÿ Airpark News, Magazine) EDUCATION: Ÿ Member: Smithsonian Institution (Washington DC) Ÿ Member: The Getty Museum & Research Institute (Los Angeles, California) Ÿ Member: The Oxford Club Ÿ Member: Goldwater Foundation/Institute (Phoenix, Arizona) Ÿ Member: Phoenix Art Museum League (Phoenix, Arizona) Ÿ Past Member: Oil Painters of America Association (Phoenix, Arizona) Ÿ Past Member: Western Academy of Women Artist.

If have an Interesting piece please contact Elena Von Kohn for Appraisal and/or Sale Info@artfortune.com www.ArtFortune.com

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References & Sources References: https://www.kshs.org/p/the-pictorial-record-of-the-old-west-4/13042 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Mulvany https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Mulvany#/media/File:John_Mulvany_-_The_Battle_of_Aughrim.jpg https://greenpointers.com/2015/12/02/the-tragic-tale-of-artist-john-mulvaney/ https://www.meisterdrucke.uk/fine-art-prints/John-Mulvany/567329/A-Country-Scene-in-Ireland-.html https://www.askart.com/Auction_Records/John_Mulvany/3940/John_Mulvany.aspx?lot=3039063 http://www.bradyhart.com/john-mulvany-preliminary-trial/j3nsipwhyoe2255r3hh8rnrt1yvpxn https://historical.ha.com/itm/art/john-mulvany-an-important-1882-oil-painting-scouts-of-the-yellowstone-total-3-items-/a/6079-44163.s http://www.bradyhart.com/john-mulvany-natives-charging http://www.bradyhart.com/john-mulvany-summary http://www.artnet.com/artists/john-george-mulvany/donnybrook-fair-97_pIzYFEOLTwODOdrTc9A2 http://www.artnet.com/artists/john-george-mulvany/dancing-a-jig-gvW46ClhoucTV3iJ4F-nAQ2 https://www.archives.gov/research/still-pictures/civil-war https://www.vox.com/2015/4/14/8396477/maps-explain-civil-war Sources: https://www.history.com/topics/native-american-history/battle-of-the-little-bighorn http://www.custerbattle.com/the-slaughter-of-the-custer-family/ https://www.historynet.com/case-men-died-custer.htm https://truewestmagazine.com/crazy-facts-custers-last-stand/ https://www.friendslittlebighorn.com/warriorsatlbh.htm https://www.historynet.com/how-many-sioux-and-cheyenne-died-at-the-battle-of-the-little-bighorn.htm http://www.gdg.org/research/People/mkeough.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sitting_Bull https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_515980 https://irishamerica.com/2017/10/custers-last-rally/

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