The Mountain Man
Frederic REMINGTON
(American, 1861-1909)
The Mountain Man
Date1903
Mediumbronze
Dimensionsobject: 28 5/8 x 11 x 12 1/2 in. (72.7 x 27.9 x 31.8 cm)
ClassificationSCULPTURE
Credit LineSBMA, Gift of Mrs. Charles A. Smolt in memory of Malcolm McNaghton
Object number1962.40
Subject(s)
- animal
- horse
- men
- mountain
Collection
- 20th century American
- American
Sub-Collection(s)
- American
On View
Not on viewCollections
Label TextRemington identified the fast vanishing frontier life of the Western United States as his artistic subject by the time he was a teenager. Steadfast in his determination to become famous as the chronicler of the West, he went on an extended trip throughout New Mexico, Arizona, northern Texas, and back to Kansas, collecting artistic fodder for his imagery. In 1886, he sold his first cover illustration to Harper’s magazine. From then on, he enjoyed steady demand for his paintings, drawings, and bronzes of Western subjects such as this: a fur trapper working in concert with his horse to expertly negotiate the steepest of inclines. As a sculptor, Remington was known for his exacting detail, as evident in the figure’s fur cap, fringed buckskin jacket, and his steed’s textured coat, mane, and tail. The popularity of these works made Remington wealthy enough to purchase a mansion in New Rochelle by the time he was just twenty-nine.
