Images(2)

The Cowpunchers

Artist William Herbert Dunton (American, 1878 - 1936)

Date1920 or before

Mediumoil on canvas

Dimensions24 x 36 inches (61 x 91.4 cm)
Frame: 33 × 45 × 3 inches (83.8 × 114.3 × 7.6 cm)

Credit LineBequest of H.J. Lutcher Stark, 1965

Object number31.21.46

ClassificationsPaintings

Label TextDunton portrayed two cowboys as serene masters of the landscape. From a high ridge, they are silhouetted against a brilliant blue sky. In Dunton’s time, the act of smoking was a depiction of relaxation. In 1920, The Century Magazine published this painting with a caption. “Thirty years ago the cow puncher was typical of the West. To-day, save for a few districts where he still holds sway, his memory is kept green in the moving-picture theaters.” The magazine’s nostalgia for the past was perhaps premature in lamenting the passing of the cowboy.

ProvenanceDr. Carlton Palmer, Atlanta, Georgia; purchased 1951 by H.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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