Volume 5: Noteworthy Collection 08.01.25 - Flipbook - Page 260
Frederic and Ginger Renner
Collection 1962-1987
A Great Falls native, Fred Renner developed a passion for Charles Russell at a young
age. His parents were friends of Charles and Nancy Russell, and Renner’s first
memories were of Russell’s action-filled paintings displayed in the businesses of
downtown Great Falls. Renner started collecting Charlie Russell postcards at the age
of five. In 1938, he acquired his first original Russell artwork—Meat for the
Wagons—by mortgaging his house to raise the money to buy it.
In 1961, Renner retired from his position as Soil Conservation and Range
Management Specialist with the U. Department of Agriculture to devote himself full
time to Russell research and collecting. He assembled more than 4,000 records on
Russell’s artistic output, as well as a large collection of Russell paintings, personal
effects, and memorabilia.
