“Go in an’ Cut That Rope,” Said Therise, “or I’ll Finish You.”
Artist
William Herbert Dunton
(American, 1878 - 1936)
Date1920
Mediumoil on canvas
Dimensions28 5/8 x 20 3/4 inches (72.7 x 52.7 cm)
Credit LineBequest of H.J. Lutcher Stark, 1965
Object number31.21.199
ClassificationsPaintings
Label TextDunton has painted an atypical gunfight in cowboy culture. A woman shoots at a cluster of cowboys. Close observation shows that she has shot at the first cowboy’s wrist. She makes a warning shot, not a fatal one. The story reveals the reason. Therise, the rancher’s daughter, is stopping the wrangler from mistreating the horse. Thus, the female rancher is taming the violence of the cowboy. She is not above using firepower to do so. This work illustrated the story “Red Dapple” by Vingie E. Roe, a woman who wrote books about the West.
ProvenancePurchased by H.J. Lutcher Stark [1887-1965]; bequeathed September 2, 1965 to 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