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Show 96 learned from Meier to capture the real, objective elements of the American landscape that he wished to record. That this style also allowed an invasion of the "picturesque" does not by necessity negate their effectiveness as documents. The landscape of the eastern United States, as already mentioned, held no surprises for Bodmer. Settled, tame, and very similar to Switzerland, these views were produced as renderings ready for the etching needle.2^ Although picturesque, the paintings may easily be classified as documents; the precision did not allow for much subjective interpretation of individual elements. Just as his artistic views of the Rhineland, while construed as picturesque overall, were yet realistic and precise renderings. Similarly, in the first landscapes he painted of the Missouri river, Bodmer used this same minute detail to document what seemed the limitless space of the midwestern plains.23 The intrusive, picturesque quality of these landscapes stems from the unfamiliar vastness of the area, rather than from any gothic or exotic associations. The romance in these paintings is created by the juxtaposition of the precise detail with the horizonless wilderness. These views still bear more relationship to the Swiss tradition of picturesque realism. As the expedition moved farther west, these precise renderings were interspersed with more painterly works, executed on a larger, more sweeping scale. This broader style opened the landscape to more obvious subjective interpretations, allowing Bodmer more freedom of artistic expression. Rather than being bound within the narrow limits of precision demanded for scientific illustration, these watercolors resembled the more interpretive landscapes of |