Siberian Exiles Shooting Wild Reindeer (recto); Shell (verso)
n.d.
Medium
Pen and black ink, with brush and gray and brown wash, over graphite (recto), and print (verso), on ivory wove paper
Dimensions
14.5 × 19.8 cm (5 3/4 × 7 13/16 in.)
Classification
ink or chalk wash
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
112209
Art Historical Context
Samuel Howett's *Siberian Exiles Shooting Wild Reindeer (recto); Shell (o)* captures a dramatic moment of survival in the Siberian wilderness. On the recto, exiles are depicted firing at wild reindeer, evoking the perilous lives of political prisoners or adventurers in 19th-century Russia, time when Siberia symbolized exile and endurance. The undated work reflects European fascination with remote frontiers, blending adventure narrative with ethnographic curiosity. Executed in pen and black ink with brush and gray and brown wash over graphite on ivory wove paper, the recto showcases Howett's s...