Explore Bierstadt’s life and the art and events that inspired him to paint The Last of the Buffalo. Special attention is given to the near extinction of the buffalo and its impact on Native American cultures.

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The correct placement of the 15 puzzle pieces present the backstory to Albert Bierstadt’s The Last of the Buffalo. Explore his art. Analyze the artists who inspired him. Learn how Manifest Destiny and the closing of the frontier informed his work. Consider how historical events can impact how viewers read a painting. Find out why this painting was both a failure and success.

As you solve the puzzle, consider how The Last of the Buffalo can inform contemporary environmental issues. For example, technological advances can have unintended consequences. Unregulated market forces can run amuck. As a keystone species, the loss of the buffalo had far-reaching effects on the entire plains ecosystem. Note especially how marginalized populations were disproportionately impacted by the loss of the buffalo. Not only did Native American communities suffer, but wisely managed buffalo herds could have served hungry pioneer families as well.

Related Resources

• Albert Bierstadt’s The Last of the Buffalo is in the National Gallery of Art’s collection. See their website for detailed information. Select the image to magnify.
• This team-building game reviews key learnings from “Puzzled by The Last of the Buffalo?”
• This interdisciplinary teacher’s resource offers a range of teaching moves and language for analyzing The Last of the Buffalo.
• This inquiry study uses The Last of the Buffalo as a springboard to explore wildlife conservation and the value of national parks.  
• This sorting activity explores the distinct styles of art of four influential American artists from the mid 1800s — Albert Bierstadt, Eastman Johnson, Emanuel Leutze, and Worthington Whittredge.  
• This game-based art survey analyzes the art of Albert Bierstadt and eight other 19^th century landscape painters.