Native American Art

From the collection of Father Edward F. Sippel of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, inherited from his mother, Della (Beau) Sippel, daughter of John Louis Beau

Beau’s wife died in 1895 shortly after the birth of their son, Johnny. The children, Della and the infant Johnny, were subsequently raised by relatives in Calvary, Wisconsin. During this period, Beau spent approximately thirteen years in Nome, Alaska, where he operated the Beau Mercantile during the gold rush era.

In 1933, Della reclaimed her father’s remaining personal effects from his bankrupt estate, preserving a small group of artifacts and photographs related to his ventures in Alaska. One scrimshaw in the collection is based on a February 1904 photograph depicting Beau with his children, Della and Johnny.