For more information or to place an order for a Collier's
Print please contact Shirley
McDonald at 315.393.2425.
Pony Tracks in the Buffalo Trail, 1904
Framed Dimensions
(with border) 18 3/8” W x 16 1/8” H - $1,425
“A scouting party in advance of a column of soldiers is picking
up Indians' signs,” Remington observed. “They have found
pony tracks among those of the buffalo, and the scouts are trying to
pick up the trail.”
The cavalry officers knew the value of using friendly Indians to track
the renegades who often attacked unsuspecting settlers enroute to the
western territories.
Note the frontiersman on foot examining the pony tracks. They also
played an important role in aiding the cavalry. They undoubtedly traveled
as mountain men prior to their steady job with the army. Most of these
men knew the territory well and learned from experience.
Drifting Before the Storm, 1904
Framed Dimensions
17 ½” W x 15 ¼” H - $1,535
Remington wrote, “In the early days storms drove the cattle before
them, the cowboys not able to handle the frightened and half frozen
animals were forced to drift with them, often for a hundred miles, living
as best they could.”
As one studies this dramatic true to life depiction of the hardships
cowboys had to endure during harsh winter months, it is hard to imagine
that Remington thought his original painting fell short of the mark
and burned it along with more than one hundred other important works
of art.
The Bell Mare, 1904
Framed Dimensions
16 ½” W x 18 7/8” H - $1,095
Government pack trains loaded with mules and supplies were always led
by a mare which carried no burden. The surefooted leader wore a bell
around her neck at all times. The mules followed the sound of the bell
and continued along at a good pace with out urging from the mounted
riders.
The pack trains traveled at night to avoid the sweltering daytime temperatures
of the Arizona and New Mexico mountains. Remington wanted to capture
these events as they actually occurred. To that end, he mixed colors
to depict evening hues and perfected his ability to paint moonlight
and other after dark scenes.
Santa Fe Trade, 1904
Framed Dimensions
(print with border) 19 1/8” W x 17 7/8” H - $1,425
These covered wagons carried necessary supplies to the new white settlers.
Their route began in Missouri and took them through the Louisiana territory
to Santa Fe and Chihuahua.
Shortly before his death in 1909, Remington became disenchanted with
his earlier illustrative work. He became so critical of the work he
destroyed many of his finest paintings including this one.
The Pioneers, 1904 – SOLD
OUT
Framed Dimensions
30 5/8” W x 24 ¾” H - $1,995
During the western expansion supplies were transported up river with
large boats hauling smaller crafts that were crammed with necessities
for the new settlers.
With their hunting grounds ravaged and prime farmland confiscated the
Native people had no alternative but to retreat to the highlands which
were of little use to the new settlers.
This splendid image was the first of twelve paintings Remington completed
for Colliers to honor the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis.
Evening on a Canadian Lake, 1905
Framed Dimensions
(large print) 29 5/8” W x 24 1/8” H - $2,155
(small print) 17 3/8” W x 14 5/8” H - $1,495
The Collier's prints produced from this painting were so popular with
their readers they were completed in several sizes.
Remington depicted his own canoe in this splendid image. He would spend
entire evenings in the canoe gently drifting on the St. Lawrence River.
It was not only a relaxing respite from his daily chores but a learning
process as well. He observed the shadows of the tall pines as they reflected
on the moonlit water and the natural hues that he later incorporated
in future works. He was indeed an artistic genius endeavoring to capture
nature in all its glory.
The Buffalo Runners, 1905
Framed Dimensions
19 3/8” W x 17 1/8” H - Price $1,795
Indians depended on the mighty buffalo for food, teepees
and other necessities. The supply seemed inexhaustible. It was estimated
that more than one hundred twenty-five million buffalo roamed the prairies
in the early 1800s. When settlers and explorers migrated west as early
as 1820 they slaughtered buffalo without regard for the Indians. Their
senseless killing was primarily for their pelts which were worth three
dollars each and their tongues which were considered a delicacy. Unfortunately,
entire tribes starved due to the disappearance of the buffalo and as
a result bitter warfare erupted against the whites. By the end of the
century the herds were reduced to slightly more than five hundred bewildered
animals.
Fortunately, Teddy Roosevelt through his National Park Preservation
programs saved the buffalo from total extinction. Today the proud American
bison roams the prairies of Montana, South Dakota, and other western
states, fully protected from hunters.
Coming to the Call, 1905
Framed Dimensions
19 1/8” W x 16 ¾” H - Price $2,195
Remington was an artist of considerable versatility. His works not
only included scores of action scenes for which he was best known but
paintings that were serene and in touch with nature. “Coming to
the Call” brought Remington accolades from those who were often
critical of his art.
This print which appeared in Collier's Weekly August 19, 1905
was extremely popular with both the woodsman and city dweller who could
only imagine how wonderful country life must be.
The Unknown Explorers, 1906
Framed Dimensions
(with original bordered mat) 16 7/8” W x 19 5/8” H - $1,535
These explorers were usually young adventurous men whose daring placed
them in constant danger. Since they traveled alone or in pairs, they
were prime targets for bands of rogue Indians. They trained their horses
to ride on steep trails and mountain peaks that often went straight
down one side and straight up the other.
This image was one of the paintings Remington tossed in a fire. His
diary of 1908 mentions twenty-seven of his paintings with the heading
“paintings which I burned up.”
The Grass Fire, 1909
Framed Dimensions
22 5/8” W x 18 ¾” H - $2,195
This print depicts a technique of warfare used by plains
Indians. When the wind was sufficiently strong to ensure a sweeping
blaze, the Indians would torch the dry grass, making certain it would
travel in the direction of the enemy. It was used both to camouflage
and to confuse the enemy and was usually set just before dawn to give
the Indians the advantage of an early morning attack.
A Cavalry Charge, 1910
Framed Dimensions
33 5/8” L x 18 ½” H - $2,195
Remington had great admiration for the U.S. Cavalry, his father was
a decorated cavalry major during the Civil War. He had great empathy
for both soldiers and Indians who were killed or wounded and he also
agonized over the cruel effects war had on the horses. In battle many
horses continue their charge even after the cavalryman has fallen to
the ground.
When Remington was on assignment with Company K, 10th Cavalry he sketched
a scene and entitled it “Riderless Horse.” When he was commissioned
by the Knickerbocker Hotel in New York to paint “A Cavalry Charge”
he used the riderless horse as the center figure and completed this
gigantic painting by adding Indians and cavalrymen engaged in a ferocious
battle.
The painting was purchased by a private collector and years later was
donated to the University of Texas.
Benighted for a Dry Camp, 1911
Framed Dimensions
23 ¾” W x 19 ½” H - $2,155
This print captures the intense light near day’s
end. It focuses on the single figure of a pioneer caught shortly before
the sun sets on a parched landscape. One can only imagine his dilemma
as he stares toward the sun in hopes of finding proper shelter in unfamiliar
land for himself and his team of horses before it gets dark.
Remington completed this painting in 1907 yet it was not
depicted in Colliers until 1911, two years after he died.
Colliers was so pleased with the original painting they
not only offered individual prints to their readers but a year later
included this image in a portfolio entitled “Remington’s
Four Best Paintings.”
