Charles M. Russell | The Texas Steer | N.D. | Bronze | Private Collection
About the Work
Longhorns were particularly suited to cattle drives, sturdy and able to graze on whatever plant material was available. Dobie called longhorns "cow brutes on the open range." In 1925, artist Charlie Russell created a reclining longhorn in plaster to give as Christmas gifts to friends, giving each distinctive horn shapes and painted in a variety of colors. After Russell's death in 1926, several of the plaster versions were cast in bronze with permission from Russell's widow. Additional casts of The Texas Steer continued to be fabricated into the mid-1970s.
