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 Scanned
copy
of an oil painting by Frederic Remington entitled “War Bridle”
(1909), which is presently on loan from an anonymous owner to the
Whitney Gallery of Western Art at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in
Cody, Wyoming. The painting was spotted in the museum by Charles Bryant several years ago,
who recognized the resemblance to the photo. The Art of
Frederic Remington : an exhibition honoring Harold McCracken at the
Whitney Gallery of Western Art / exhibition and catalogue prepared by
Don Hedgpeth. Cody, Wyoming: Buffalo Bill Memorial
Assoc., c1974. p. 56. - contributed by Don Alexander
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Photograph
from which the above painting was painted. The photograph
is in Ruth “Lolly” Alexander Bryant’s possession. It is believed that the two men in the photo are William
Alexander (L) and Charlie Alexander (R) and taken in the early 1900's at Eugene and Nancy
Alexander’s place on the upper New Fork near Cora, Wyoming. -
Contributed by Ruth "Lolly" Alexander Bryant. |
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research indicates that “War Bridle” was painted in 1909 and
Frederic Remington died in December of 1909, thus it had to have been
one of his last paintings. According to his diaries, Mr. Remington came
to Wyoming in 1908 and spent some time at the TE Ranch near Cody. |
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| "The
Remington Catalogue Raisonne says the painting was bought in 1909 by A.
Barton Hepburn,
then passed to his daughter, Cordelia H. Cushman, then to the current,
anonymous owner in 1958." "Hepburn
was from our area, was, I believe a founder of Chase Bank, and a great
philanthropist. Most of our rural libraries and the local hospital are
named after him. He's also in the plot next to Remington at the
Evergreen Cemetary in Canton, NY." - Laura Foster, Curator of the Frederic
Remington Art Museum in Ogdensburg, New York. |
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The
Alexander Brothers, Frank, Charles and Will guided many folks from back
East who came to Wyoming to hunt. According to an article in the
Sept. 26, 1906 Pinedale Roundup, "... The Alexander brothers, Frank
and Will, also have a party out after elk and mountain sheep, consisting
of Irving Bacheler, a novelist of some renown, accompanied by the
president of the Fourth National Bank of New York...." [could
this be A. Barton Hepburn?]. Click
here to go to the collection of articles from the Pinedale Roundup.
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"The
Story of An Outing" by A.
Barton Hepburn,
published by Harper & Brothers Publishers, New York and
London MCMXIII. (See inscription below).
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Contributed by Ruth "Lolly" Alexander Bryant
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Inscription
"7.27.14 With Kind regards and best wishes to a former
& most successful guide. A.
Barton Hepburn To W. J. Alexander"
- Contributed by Ruth
"Lolly" Alexander Bryant |
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Mr.
Hepburn is mentioned in an
article by Louise Alexander Troxel entitled "Pioneers" published
in a book Wyoming's Own
- Contributed by Ruth
"Lolly" Alexander Bryant
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A. Barton Hepburn
Comptroller of the Currency, 1892 -1893
A. Barton Hepburn served as Comptroller for less than a year. He came to office from a varied and distinguished career. Hepburn had been a professor of mathematics, lawyer, superintendent of banking of the state of New York, and five-term member of the New York State Assembly. He also served as national bank examiner for New York City for three years before being appointed Comptroller by President Benjamin Harrison. An internationally recognized authority on financial and economic questions, Hepburn returned to banking when President Cleveland took office. He later succeeded Henry W. Cannon as president of the Chase National Bank.
- From the Office of the Comptroller Website at http://www.occ.treas.gov/ |
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"Altnacraig stood on
High Ridge, a block west of Main Street, and was built just after the
turn of the century by Mr.
and Mrs. A. Barton Hepburn
as their summer and weekend place. The Hepburns were friends of the
likes of Mark Twain and artist/sculptor Frederic
Remington (who
moved to Ridgefield in 1909 at Mr. Hepburn's suggestion). Barton,
president of the Chase Bank in New York City, was hit by a bus and died
not too many years after the house was built, but his wife Emily Eaton
Hepburn continued to use Altnacraig for many years. .... Altnacraig eventually became a nursing home. In
the early 1990s, after the nursing home had been closed several years,
the house burned to the ground in a spectacular -- and suspicious --
fire. In 1997 and 1998, a new and almost equally spectacular house was
built on the site. This is a rear view of the mansion from a
hand-colored card by Albertype ...." - From Web Page
http://www.acorn-online.com/pc/altna.htm |
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Rendition
of the above photo painted by Dianna Alexander
(2004). Dianna was a
daughter-in-law of Charles Franklin "Bill" Alexander and painted this picture
using the same photo Remington had. Dianna was a self-taught artist, and won many awards. This is one of her last paintings as she
was so
crippled with arthritis that she could no longer paint, write, etc. The painting
is now in the possession of her sister-in-law, Phyllis. Dianna passed
away on May 11, 2011. - photo and
commentary by Sharon Bryant
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