Talk:Fur Traders Descending the Missouri

Cat or bear cub
I would like to see a reference to support the claim that the animal sitting in the bow of the dugout canoe is "widely acknowledged to be a bear cub, and not a cat." I've seen this painting, and own a copy of it hanging on my wall, and I have to say that the animal is almost certainly a cat, not a bear. Bears do not have the pointy ears that stick up like this animal has - it looks exactly like a cat if you see the painting in person. So who says it's a bear cub? And who is saying that this is a "widely acknowledged" fact? Sorry, I just don't buy it. At least provide a citation for this claim... --Saukkomies talk 04:35, 21 October 2011 (UTC)
 * I completely agree with the assessment that it is a bear cub - see the Metropolitan Museum of Arts timeline here: and click on the closeup of the bear cub - lower left...Modernist (talk) 21:23, 31 October 2011 (UTC)