New Exhibit at Greeley History Museum Tells Artists’ Journey West

GREELEY, Colo. — A new traveling exhibit, A Great Frontier Odyssey: Sketching the American West, opens December 18 at the Greeley History Museum, 714 8th Street in Greeley. It shares the 1873 trip of artists Jules Tavernier and Paul Frenzeny as they recorded scenes of the American West.

After the Civil War, many people moved west looking for new lives. Americans everywhere wanted to see what the frontier looked like. A publishing company sent Tavernier and Frenzeny across the country to capture images.

The prints in A Great Frontier Odyssey follow their travels from the East Coast to San Francisco. Their detailed drawings show everyday people, important places and big events. Working as a team, Tavernier painted the scenes, and Frenzeny redrew them in pencil, adding details before the images were printed.

Both artists were born in France and viewed the West with fresh eyes. Jules Tavernier stayed in California after the project and became one of the West Coast’s best-known painters. His studios in San Francisco and Monterey helped shape early California art. Paul Frenzeny, once a nobleman, became one of the top newspaper illustrators of his time.

Claudine Chalmers is a historian and author from France. She now lives in Northern California and curated the exhibit for Exhibit Envoy. Exhibit Envoy offers traveling exhibits and museum services. They share new ideas, encourage creativity and connect communities. Learn more at www.exhibitenvoy.org.

The museum is open Thursdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The exhibit runs through May 23, 2026. Learn more by visiting the Greeley History Museum or GreeleyMuseums.com.

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