On the Head-Waters--Burgess Finding a Ford

Frederic Remington

ca. 1893 · Watercolor on paper · The American Wing

In summer 1893 Remington visited Yellowstone, America’s first national park, to research an article on its soldiers for Harper’s Weekly. While there, he joined superintendent George S. Anderson and longtime government scout Felix Burgess on an expedition to the park’s backcounty in search of animal poachers. This watercolor depicts Burgess leading a group of mounted soldiers and pack mules through a spongy mountain meadow in search of solid ground. It served first as the study for an illustration accompanying "Policing the Yellowstone" in Harper’s Weekly on January 12, 1895, and later as a chapter illustration in Remington’s anthology Pony Tracks.

Artist

Frederic Remington

Date

ca. 1893

Medium

Watercolor on paper

Culture

American

Department

The American Wing

Credit line

Anonymous Gift, 1962