William de la Montagne Cary

William de la Montagne Cary expressed an early interest in animals and hunting scenes. His father taught him how to draw and at 14, he apprenticed to an engraver. In 1861, he traveled the Missouri River by steamboat and accurately depicted the West before the influx of settlers and transcontinental railroads. Cary sketched and participated in many Native American activities, ceremonies, and buffalo hunts. He later used these sketches for reference in paintings and magazine illustrations. Cary also kept an extensive journal of his expedition, which was published many years later in 1895. In 1874, he made his second trip west with the Northern Boundary Survey to the upper Missouri, documenting the changes that had taken place since his previous journey. Cary's illustration career spanned nearly 30 years, and his paintings have been informative to many historians.

Cary's work is recognized in many private collections and museums, including the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, the Gilcrease Museum, the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Center, the Buffalo Bill Historic Center, and the National Museum of Wildlife Art.