Cowgirl with Red Scarf
Artist
William Herbert Dunton
(American, 1878 - 1936)
Mediumoil on canvas
Dimensions26 3/4 x 20 3/4 inches (67.9 x 52.7 cm)
Frame: 30 × 24 × 2 inches (76.2 × 61 × 5.1 cm)
Frame: 30 × 24 × 2 inches (76.2 × 61 × 5.1 cm)
Credit LineBequest of H.J. Lutcher Stark, 1965
Object number31.21.15
ClassificationsPaintings
Label TextDunton painted an idealized cowgirl. She has slender, delicate features. A mass of luxurious hair is barely contained under her cowboy hat. She is a western version of the “Gibson Girl,” a type created by illustrator Charles Dana Gibson. This cowgirl is pensive, perhaps even melancholy. Dunton could create an image fit for a ladies’ magazine, but he also respected active cowgirls. He wrote about the rodeo at Cheyenne where women rode bucking horses. He cited, “Two girl bronc’ riders, a feminine element in striking contrast to the husky punchers, are more likely to be remembered. . . . Their riding is nothing short of wonderful.”
ProvenanceH.J. Lutcher Stark [1887-1965]; bequeathed September 2, 1965 to the Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation; accessioned to the Stark Museum of Art
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William Herbert Dunton
1905
William Herbert Dunton
