Frederic Remington built his reputation as a historian-artist and contemporary chronicler of the American West through his illustrations for books and periodicals. Harper’s Weekly published Remington’s first commercial illustration in 1882, establishing a partnership that would last for fifteen years. The Mule Pack was the final Remington image published in Harper’s, marking the end of their relationship.
Many of Remington’s paintings intended for illustration were rendered in monochromatic tones, simplifying the process of transferring them into print. Additionally, black-and-white compositions would have heightened a viewer’s sense of reportage through the paintings’ visual similarities to photographs. Another defining aspect of Remington’s oeuvre is the emotional power with which he painted horses in motion. Compositions in which riders on horseback seem to rush out of the picture plane toward the viewer proved popular with his audience.
Source: Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
