Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1156244
Until recently, records showed that there were two Charles M. Russell paintings titled When Law Dulls the Edge of Chance—one in Cody, Wyoming, and the other in London, England. A cursory internet search revealed this conundrum. Typing the title into a search engine returned a link to the Royal Collection Trust, Britain's incomparable collection of more than one million objects amassed over five hundred years. e Royal Collection's database listed a painting by Russell identified as When Law Dulls the Edge of Chance, noting that it was presented in 1919 to Edward, Prince of Wales (1894–1972). e Buffalo Bill Center of the West (the Center) in Cody owns a painting of the same name that was also known to have been given to the Prince of Wales. e two works of art apparently shared not only their title but their provenance. e Royal Collection's online records included no images of its painting, but the catalogued dimensions and description did not match the Center's Russell. Once photographs were procured, it became evident that the Royal Collection's painting was misaributed. e Crown was steward not to When Law Dulls the Edge of Chance but rather to a major, yet lile-known Russell painting titled When a Le Handshake Is the Safest (1919; figure 3.6), given in 1919 to Arthur, Duke of Connaught (1850–1942). is discovery proved the missing piece to a century-old puzzle and illuminated an intriguing, transatlantic tale of two paintings. SiG MT 37 SiG MT 35 When Law Dulls the Edge of Chance • 1915, Oil on canvas Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Cody, Wyoming, gi of William E. Weiss (28.78) To learn more about this royal connection and more paintings featured in Return to Calgary, visit the exhibition at the C.M. Russell Museum and pick up a copy of the exhibition catalogue in the Museum Store. Concurrently, the C.M. Russell Museum is undertaking a historic partnership with the Calgary Stampede to produce a companion exhibition in giclée of all twenty-four paintings shown in 1919. e exhibition was previously on display in the Western Oasis at Stampede Park earlier this summer during the Calgary Stampede. S MT 1919 Stampede VIPs arriving in Calgary Left to right: first four unknown, Pat Burns, Guy Weadick, Nancy Russell, A. E. Cross, Ed Borein, next two unknown, Charles M. Russell (far right).