Tag Archives: Amon Carter Museum

I’ve Got 99 Problems

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Bronc in Cow Camp, Charles M Russell, 1897

Bronc in Cow Camp, Charles M Russell, 1897

… and a bronc ain’t one.

“I put a dollar in the change machine and nothing changed.” – George Carlin

Anne had a couple of broncs in first grade today and I guess that she broke them, because they both broke down into tears when she told these two little broncos that they would not be getting smiley faces for the day, but only so-so faces, because of their behavior. There are consequences for a person’s actions, even in the first grade. Still, as rough as today might sound, yesterday was far worse. A pre-school child barfed and Anne had to cleaned it up. I avoided all contact with her after I heard that. Tonight, Anne felt a little broken down too.

🙂

The western artist, Charles M. Russell, lived in Saint Louis. His family was a prosperous nineteenth-century Saint Louis family. Russell Boulevard is named after one of his relatives. When we did the Trailnet Tweed ride, we learned that the Russell family made its money in coal and clay and then used these products to make brick, once mined and made just south of present day Tower Grove Park. The pictured painting resides in the Amon Carter Museum, in Fort Worth.

My 99 problems (Part 1):

  1. People who get their news from CAPS LOCK email forwards.

Don’t let the door hit you where the Good Lord split you. Bye-Bye!

We Live Our Lives in Fear!

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Attention Company!, William Michael Harnett, 1878

Attention Company!, William Michael Harnett, 1878

Saint Louis is waiting on pins and needles for the grand jury verdict to come in on the Michael Brown killing. Brown, an 18 year-old black man who was shot on August 9th, by Darren Wilson, a white Ferguson police officer. Protests, both peaceful and violent ensued. About two weeks ago, when we returned to Saint Louis from LA and while Anne and I were loitering at the airport, we were waiting for Joanie to pick us up, a security guard came by and gave us the third degree. After he was satisfied, he then asked us, “Do you think that there will be riots?” He meant after the grand jury verdict came back with no indictments. I told him that nothing was going to happen until after the election, which is now more than a week past.

One of my Facebook friends put out a post recommending preparing for the consequences of a grand jury verdict. It sounded like disaster preparedness, what with a call for having cash and bottled water around, like something we should do in the event of an earthquake or nuclear war. I pray that all of this talk is merely hyperbole and whatever decision that the grand jury returns does not lead to violence.

A new neighbor is a Saint Louis County cop. We knew this when he started parking his marked police car in front of our house. He is a tall, young, friendly, Asian-American man and having him as a neighbor is an asset. At our block party last month, he explained that he had been working a lot of overtime because of Ferguson. At the party, he also said that there are plans for a major call up of police officers come the grand jury verdict.

Preparations extend across the river. A co-worker who is also a reservist told me that the Illinois National Guard has evacuated all heavy weapons (tanks, rocket launchers, etc.) from their East Saint Louis armory, as a precaution for the expected grand jury verdict. This story seemed farfetched to me, but its source is impeccable. Meanwhile, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon (D) announced yesterday, a unified law-enforcement command that will be ready to respond when the grand jury verdict is made public. This command will be composed of local police, state police and the Missouri National Guard. Nixon is also in regular consultation with President Obama (D) about Ferguson.

Foreshadowing the expected Michael Brown grand jury verdict the Saint Louis County prosecutor, Robert McCulloch (D), announced this week that the killing in July of another black man by another white policeman was justified and that no charges will be brought. This is exactly the ruling that the black community feared would occur, when McCulloch seated the Michael Brown grand jury. Last weekend anxiety was running so high that McCulloch felt compelled to tamp down the “rank speculation”. The grand jury verdict is expected in mid to late November. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

The Cowboy

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The Cowboy, Frederic S. Remington, 1902

The Cowboy, Frederic S. Remington, 1902

This painting was one of a series of four by Remington that was reproduced in the October 1902 issue of Scribner’s Magazine under the general title “Western Types.” Besides the cowboy, the other paintings depicted a scout, a “half-breed,” and a cavalryman. The paintings were also reproduced as separate prints, and they all proved to be popular with the public. The painting of The Cowboy shows Remington’s new awareness of color; harmonious tones of dusty yellow, light blue, and pale lavender in the desert landscape surround the rider and his horse. The story is told that John Howard, a boyhood friend of Remington’s, greatly admired the painting in the artist’s studio and asked its price. Although Remington quoted a far higher price than anticipated, Howard reluctantly agreed to write a check for the amount. Months passed without the check clearing the bank, and Howard found himself having to remind Remington several times about their transaction. One evening, as the two men were sitting together after a dinner at Remington’s house, the artist used a piece of paper to light their cigars. Once that was done, Remington informed his friend that the piece of paper was his check and the transaction had just been completed.

The Bronco Buster

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The Bronco Buster, Frederic S. Remington

The Bronco Buster, Frederic S. Remington

The rise of the cowboy as the romantic hero of the American West began shortly after the Civil War, and Remington was one of the principal artists to play a part in that development. One of the cowboy’s most vocal supporters was the artist’s friend Theodore Roosevelt; the cowboy in Remington’s art reflects what Roosevelt had to say about the cowboy as hero. In a series of articles illustrated by Remington on his experiences as a ranchman in the Dakota Territory published in Century Magazine in 1888–89, Roosevelt described the cowboys he knew as “hardy and self-reliant as any men who ever breathed.” He praised the cowboy’s strength of character, which included a “frank and simple” approach to life, a “whole-souled hospitality” to others, and an air of “grave courtesy” to outsiders. By the time the writer Owen Wister published his novel The Virginian in 1902, such traits were embedded in the central character, thus beginning a long line of western heroes that would later appear in fiction and film. Not surprisingly, Wister dedicated his novel to Roosevelt.

Lost in a Snowstorm

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Lost in a Snowstorm-We Are Friends, 1888, Charles M. Russell

Lost in a Snowstorm-We Are Friends, 1888, Charles M. Russell

In this Charles M. Russell painting, we see two cowboys and a group of Indians peacefully encounter each other in a field during a severe snowstorm.  This picture is an example from the Amon Carter Museum’s superb collection of works by Frederic Remington and Charles M. Russell, two of the greatest artists of the American West. This collection is unique, for nowhere else can a visitor see and compare so many masterpieces by these two artists. With their fascinating details and hypnotic aura of romance, these works provide an unparalleled journey into the Old West.