Lot Essay
Frederic Remington, whose works have come to epitomize the Old West, enjoyed an extremely successful, although brief artistic career which began as an illustrator. As the star illustrator of one of the nation's most popular weekly magazines, Harper's Weekly, Remington gained considerable acclaim which led to future assignments with important and influential political and military heroes. One of these well known figures was General Nelson A. Miles, a famous military commander who conducted a series of widely publicized military campaigns to quell Indian uprisings. Miles invited Remington to accompany him on arduous campaigns throughout the West to record the various events that took place. Lawton's Pursuit of Geronimo from 1896 was part of a series of illustrations that were used to accompany Miles' autobiographical book entitled Personal Recollections and Observations of General Nelson A Miles published in 1896. Miles employed Remington specifically for his renowned ability to synthesize with accurate emotion and visual impact crucial events of the West. Lawton's Pursuit of Geronimo distills through a sophisticated handling of a black and white palette, the trials and hardships encountered by those involved with the tracking of the famous Indian warrior, Geronimo.
Harper's sent Remington on assignment to Fort Huachuca in Arizona to follow General Miles for the first time in the late 1880s. Though Remington chose not to accompany Miles on his campaign, the General astutely understood the value of Remington's talent to bolster his own reputation. An incredibly ambitious man, Miles was seeking the presidency during his military career. In an effort to promote his career, he would often invite illustrators from major magazines to report on his military achievements, one of the most famous being the successful capture of Geronimo in 1886. Miles worked with Remington until the 1890s generating projects such as the General's autobiographical book Personal Recollections and Observations of General Nelson A. Miles.
General Miles' famous endeavors on the trail of Geronimo were accompanied by other war heros such as Captain H.W. Lawton of the Fourth United States Calvary. Lawton, in the eyes of General Miles was a man who would "fulfill all the requirements of a commander." (Personal Recollections and Observations of General Nelson A. Miles, Chicago, 1896, p. 486) Lawton, along with other officers, infantry men, Indian scouts and calvary were sent off to track the elusive apache chief, Geronimo. Traversing the Arizona and Mexican desserts on foot was full of hardships, yet these men, who were hand picked by Miles, endured. Miles recounts one incident: "..at one time the troops continued the pursuit [of Geronimo] for twenty-six hours in the intense heat of the season. This was the second occasion in which a part of my commands were suffering so intensely from thirst-- an agony fortunately unknown to mankind-- that the men opened their veins to moisten their burning lips with their own blood." (Personal Recollections, p. 491) Captain Lawton and the men under his command encountered numerous setbacks in their pursuit of Geronimo. Miles describes in the following passage the grueling experiences of Captain Lawton which find their visual equivalent in Remington's Lawton's Pursuit if Geronimo: "...Captain Lawton pursued the savages from one range of mountains to another for three months, sometimes scaling peaks nine thousand or ten thousand feet above the level of the sea, and then again descending into the depths of the canyons where the heat was almost intolerable. During this time the troops marched 1,396 miles. Most of the country had been burned over leaving no grass, and water was so scarce that the troops frequently suffered intensely. One portion of the command was without food, with the exception of such game as they could kill, for five days. At one time when the pack train had been delayed by the roughness of the trail, the troops were obliged to subsist on two or three deer killed by scouts, and on mule meat without salt.
Sonora, the part of Mexico in which operations of the troops were now being carried on, is a rough mountainous country, presenting obstacles of extremely serious nature. It is a succession of rugged mountains, broken here and there by a steep canon, and producing nothing but a few wild fruits, cacti, and some game. There is but little water and that often of poor quality. Grass is almost entirely wanting during the dry season." (Personal Recollections pp. 491-492)
The grueling trial of Lawton and his troops during their long campaign in pursuit of Geronimo is succinctly recorded in the present work. Remington, in Lawton's Pursuit of Geronimo, recreates the treacherous and unfriendly terrain that was for the most part a dessert wasteland comprised of a few cacti and scrub brush. Trudging though this landscape under a scorching sun, the artist depicts Lawton, a man who Miles described as "a giant in stature...with a bright handsome face..." with the handle-bar mustache leading his troops made up of Indian scouts, other officers, mules and horses down a steep and rocky gully. (Personal Recollections, p. 487) Through deft handling of composition, line and manipulation of lights and darks, Remington creates an effective contrast between the figures and the landscape that surrounds them. This juxtaposition contributes to the visual impact of the work. Remington, by angling the troop's movement down the steep slope sets up a forward motion that is heightened by his attention to detail and manipulation of white, black and grays. In contrast, the dry barren dessert is treated in a more cursory manner. Composed of varying gray washes, Remington underscores its emptiness with the inclusion of two looming cacti, scattered scrub brush and stone.
Lawton's Pursuit of Geronimo poignantly reveals Remington's ability to convincingly create the feeling of the hot unrelenting dessert sun, the unforgiving soil and the lethargic yet determined movement of the weary troops. Remington's image brought to life the experiences of General Miles for an appreciative public eager to view first hand the drama and excitement of the Old West.
Harper's sent Remington on assignment to Fort Huachuca in Arizona to follow General Miles for the first time in the late 1880s. Though Remington chose not to accompany Miles on his campaign, the General astutely understood the value of Remington's talent to bolster his own reputation. An incredibly ambitious man, Miles was seeking the presidency during his military career. In an effort to promote his career, he would often invite illustrators from major magazines to report on his military achievements, one of the most famous being the successful capture of Geronimo in 1886. Miles worked with Remington until the 1890s generating projects such as the General's autobiographical book Personal Recollections and Observations of General Nelson A. Miles.
General Miles' famous endeavors on the trail of Geronimo were accompanied by other war heros such as Captain H.W. Lawton of the Fourth United States Calvary. Lawton, in the eyes of General Miles was a man who would "fulfill all the requirements of a commander." (Personal Recollections and Observations of General Nelson A. Miles, Chicago, 1896, p. 486) Lawton, along with other officers, infantry men, Indian scouts and calvary were sent off to track the elusive apache chief, Geronimo. Traversing the Arizona and Mexican desserts on foot was full of hardships, yet these men, who were hand picked by Miles, endured. Miles recounts one incident: "..at one time the troops continued the pursuit [of Geronimo] for twenty-six hours in the intense heat of the season. This was the second occasion in which a part of my commands were suffering so intensely from thirst-- an agony fortunately unknown to mankind-- that the men opened their veins to moisten their burning lips with their own blood." (Personal Recollections, p. 491) Captain Lawton and the men under his command encountered numerous setbacks in their pursuit of Geronimo. Miles describes in the following passage the grueling experiences of Captain Lawton which find their visual equivalent in Remington's Lawton's Pursuit if Geronimo: "...Captain Lawton pursued the savages from one range of mountains to another for three months, sometimes scaling peaks nine thousand or ten thousand feet above the level of the sea, and then again descending into the depths of the canyons where the heat was almost intolerable. During this time the troops marched 1,396 miles. Most of the country had been burned over leaving no grass, and water was so scarce that the troops frequently suffered intensely. One portion of the command was without food, with the exception of such game as they could kill, for five days. At one time when the pack train had been delayed by the roughness of the trail, the troops were obliged to subsist on two or three deer killed by scouts, and on mule meat without salt.
Sonora, the part of Mexico in which operations of the troops were now being carried on, is a rough mountainous country, presenting obstacles of extremely serious nature. It is a succession of rugged mountains, broken here and there by a steep canon, and producing nothing but a few wild fruits, cacti, and some game. There is but little water and that often of poor quality. Grass is almost entirely wanting during the dry season." (Personal Recollections pp. 491-492)
The grueling trial of Lawton and his troops during their long campaign in pursuit of Geronimo is succinctly recorded in the present work. Remington, in Lawton's Pursuit of Geronimo, recreates the treacherous and unfriendly terrain that was for the most part a dessert wasteland comprised of a few cacti and scrub brush. Trudging though this landscape under a scorching sun, the artist depicts Lawton, a man who Miles described as "a giant in stature...with a bright handsome face..." with the handle-bar mustache leading his troops made up of Indian scouts, other officers, mules and horses down a steep and rocky gully. (Personal Recollections, p. 487) Through deft handling of composition, line and manipulation of lights and darks, Remington creates an effective contrast between the figures and the landscape that surrounds them. This juxtaposition contributes to the visual impact of the work. Remington, by angling the troop's movement down the steep slope sets up a forward motion that is heightened by his attention to detail and manipulation of white, black and grays. In contrast, the dry barren dessert is treated in a more cursory manner. Composed of varying gray washes, Remington underscores its emptiness with the inclusion of two looming cacti, scattered scrub brush and stone.
Lawton's Pursuit of Geronimo poignantly reveals Remington's ability to convincingly create the feeling of the hot unrelenting dessert sun, the unforgiving soil and the lethargic yet determined movement of the weary troops. Remington's image brought to life the experiences of General Miles for an appreciative public eager to view first hand the drama and excitement of the Old West.