About Ernest Thompson Seton
Answer to Q #18
Prospective students to Art schools in London gathered at the British Museum where they created their entries for consideration by admissions officials. Seton submitted his first effort in 1879 and his second in 1880.
Answer to Q #17
The model for Seton’s exquisite “Sleeping Wolf” lived at Jardin des Plantes Menagrie or Paris Zoo.
The painting hangs in the Seton Gallery at the Academy for the Love of Learning, Seton Village, Santa Fe, New Mexico
Answer to Q #16
Joseph Logan Thompson moved his family to Canada and homesteaded near Lindsay, Ontario in 1866.
Answer to Q #15
The bill presented to Ernest by his father was $537.50 (CAD), which seems a small amount, but today the equivalent value is over $12,000 (CAD)!
Today, $12,000 (CAD) is equal to $9,463 (USD).
Answer to Q #14
The story about the demise of a wolf hunter in the Pyrenees (South of France) appeared in a French newspaper.
Seton pounced on the idea for his next work. The painting caused controversy not only because of the content, but also Seton’s chosen title “Triumph of the Wolves”. He was convinced to change the title to “Awaited in Vain”.
The 121.92 cm by 213.36 cm (4 ft by 7 ft) painting hangs at the National Scouting Museum on Philmont Scout Ranch near Cimarron, New Mexico.
Answer to Q #13
Ernest’s father handed Ernest a bill detailing the entire amount of money spent on raising him. Ernest had paid no interest on these expenses to this point; however, now his father would charge 6% interest until the debt was paid off.
Answer to Q #9
Seton considered art to be his vocation because it was how he earned a living in his early years. He considered natural science to be his avocation because he was largely self-taught.
Answer to Q #6
Q #6: What was Black Wolf’s given name?
A: Ernest Evan Thompson. His middle name was conferred upon him in honor of Evan Cameron of Lochiel, an ancestor who was known as the greatest wolf hunter of his time, credited with hunting the last wolf in Scotland. More about the Seton ancestry can be found in Trail of an Artist-Naturalist: the autobiography of Ernest Thompson Seton.
Answer to Q #4
Q #4: Name the valley that was terrorized by wolves and became the backdrop for the story of Lobo.
Currumpaw or Corrumpa. According to New Mexico Place Names, A Geographical Dictionary (1965), the word is an Indian term meaning “wild or isolated”. Corrompa is another alternate spelling meaning “corrupt” in Latin.
A personal thought: I image that when Seton was giving a title to his most famous story, he capitalized on the “paw” in Currumpaw, emphasizing the association with animals, particularly canines –wolves and coyotes.