Trail Boss

Artist Charles Marion Russell (American, 1864 - 1926)

Dateca. 1897

Mediumwatercolor and graphite underdrawing on paper

Dimensionsimage: 14 × 14 in. (35.6 × 35.6 cm)
sheet: 17 1/4 × 17 1/4 in. (43.8 × 43.8 cm)
frame: 23 × 22 × 1 1/2 in. (58.4 × 55.9 × 3.8 cm)

Credit LineGift of the Estate of Martha Parfet

Exhibition History"The Way Forward: New Acquisitions at the KIA," July 28 - December 2, 2018.Label TextIn Trail Boss, the foreman of the cattle drive has dismounted his horse, pausing with his lasso, chaps, hat, bandana, and cigarette, shrewdly surveying the land ahead. Behind, stopped wagons and a cloud of dust signal the approaching herd. As a young man in Montana, the artist watched herds at night and by day painted life on the open range—a lifestyle that soon came to an end. Alongside authors, filmmakers, and other artists, Charles Marion Russell was a major force in promoting cowboys, as romantic symbols of independence and adventure in the western frontier of the U.S. This representation of the “quintessential American hero,” is also known as “the West that never was” for its inaccurate visions of cowboy life. Originating from Mexico, vaqueros or cowboys were from diverse backgrounds, including African Americans, Indigenous peoples, and American settlers from eastern territories. [Label Text: For the People: America at 250 Exhibition, June 27 - October 4, 2026]

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