The Corps of Volunteers for North West Discovery was far more than a scientific expedition. The disciplines of science and arts often merged, as when singing and dancing was used as tools of trail diplomacy. Other arts such as languages, literature, and linguistics provided the means to record the story of the expedition itself, as did the visual arts and artists who interpreted the Lewis and Clark story—and continue to interpret it to this day.
L&C Artists
Interpreters of the trail
Due to the relative paucity of illustrations in the journals, Lewis and Clark storytellers rely on the drawings, paintings, engravings, statuary, and photographs of early travelers and modern interpreters alike. Listed here are early travelers and modern interpreters with indexes of their artwork used on this site.
Illustrating the Expedition
Nineteenth century tools and methods utilized engraving, lithography, the physiognotrace, and early photography processes. The artists themselves, interpreted the Lewis and Clark Expedition within the historical frameworks of their times.
L&C in Literature
The “writingest” American expedition was entangled in the contemporary literature of its time and their successes eventually led to a large literary response.
Song and Dance
The journals of the Lewis and Clark expedition contain references to some two dozen occasions when the men turned to music for recreation and to celebrate holidays. It also served an important function in some of their diplomatic negotiations with Indian tribes.
