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The Jewish artist who almost died exploring the Wild West

JL;DR SUMMARY Solomon Nunes Carvalho, a Sephardic Jewish artist, embarked on a perilous journey in 1853 at the invitation of John C. Fremont to document the American West. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

Jewish HistoryJewish ArtistNative AmericansPhotography19th CenturySolomon Nunes CarvalhoAmerican WestJohn C. FremontDaguerreotypeMormons

Places mentioned

New York City, New York, United States
"The story of how a city-dwelling Jewish artist became an explorer begins in August of 1953, when John C. Fremont met Carvalho in New York City."
Charleston, South Carolina, United States
"Originally from the Sephardi enclave of Charleston, South Carolina, Carvalho had a wife, children and a business in Baltimore, and yet he readily accepted Fremonts offer."
Baltimore, Maryland, United States
"Originally from the Sephardi enclave of Charleston, South Carolina, Carvalho had a wife, children and a business in Baltimore, and yet he readily accepted Fremonts offer."
Parowan, Utah, United States
"But hes far more respectful of another minority group: the Latter-day Saints, who Carvalho spent several weeks with in their settlement of Parowan, Utah."
Colorado, United States
"Although Carvalho missed the last stages of the expedition, Fremont did succeed in making it through present-day Colorado to California."

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Retrieved 2025-05-25 05:30:50 UTC
Curated 2025-05-25 08:30:28 UTC