Lot Essay
The Lost Greenhorn, one of Alfred Jacob Miller's most successful works, was so popular with the American public that it was commissioned by various collectors in oil, watercolor and chromolithograph. This particular version was commissioned by William Warfield of Lexington, Kentucky, one of Miller's biggest patrons.
The Lost Greenhorn owes its popularity to Miller's masterful composition, which testifies to the power of the untamed western wilderness and its potential for adventure. Miller is acclaimed as the first artist to head west and record all of its wonders, and during this trip, he experienced everything that made this region a legend in its own time, including phenomenal topography, treacherous weather conditions, and hostile indians.
According to Ron Tyler, "This picture had its origin in the fact that John, the English cook on the expedition, boasted of what he could accomplish on a buffalo hunt. 'When anyone boasted,' Miller said, 'our captain... put them to the test.' John was given the day off to prove his statements. He did not return to camp at the end of the day. When he was missing for a second day, Fitzpatrick, the caravan commander, sent the hunters out in different directions to try to find him. They brought back a crestfallen cook who told of being near death as he found himself in the path of a stampeding herd of buffaloes. He had lost his way and was nearly starved to death by the time the hunters found him." (Alfred Jacob Miller: Artist on the Oregon Trail, Fort Worth, Texas, 1982, n.p.)
Miller has represented every threat that he encountered in the American west. The background is mysteriously dark and endless. The wind roars across the landscape, through his red blanket and his horse's tail while pushing the menacing clouds across the sky. John's squinting eyes and anxious posture betray his sheer terror.
The Lost Greenhorn owes its popularity to Miller's masterful composition, which testifies to the power of the untamed western wilderness and its potential for adventure. Miller is acclaimed as the first artist to head west and record all of its wonders, and during this trip, he experienced everything that made this region a legend in its own time, including phenomenal topography, treacherous weather conditions, and hostile indians.
According to Ron Tyler, "This picture had its origin in the fact that John, the English cook on the expedition, boasted of what he could accomplish on a buffalo hunt. 'When anyone boasted,' Miller said, 'our captain... put them to the test.' John was given the day off to prove his statements. He did not return to camp at the end of the day. When he was missing for a second day, Fitzpatrick, the caravan commander, sent the hunters out in different directions to try to find him. They brought back a crestfallen cook who told of being near death as he found himself in the path of a stampeding herd of buffaloes. He had lost his way and was nearly starved to death by the time the hunters found him." (Alfred Jacob Miller: Artist on the Oregon Trail, Fort Worth, Texas, 1982, n.p.)
Miller has represented every threat that he encountered in the American west. The background is mysteriously dark and endless. The wind roars across the landscape, through his red blanket and his horse's tail while pushing the menacing clouds across the sky. John's squinting eyes and anxious posture betray his sheer terror.