Seltzer, Olaf C.

Denmark native Olaf Seltzer’s parents saw his talent for drawing and enrolled him in a school where he could develop his skills. In 1892, after his father’s untimely death, Seltzer’s mother emigrated to the United States, settling in Great Falls, Montana. Seltzer became a cowboy, then worked as a machinist for the Great Northern Railway. A meeting with artist Charles Russell became a fast friendship, and Russell encouraged and mentored Seltzer as he moved toward a full-time career as a painter.