The Cowboy Painter from Hoboken

By the turn of the century, Schreyvogel’s artistic output and renown rivaled that of Fredric Remington (much to Remington’s chagrin) and Leslie’s Weekly, a prominent literary and news magazine at the time, called him “America’s greatest living interpreter of the Old West.” My Bunkie, his most famous painting, depicts a U.S. cavalryman rescuing a fellow soldier in the heat of battle, winning Schreyvogel the highly coveted Thomas B. Clarke prize. Such a tense and heroic moment captured the hearts and minds of Americans for its historical accuracy and patriotic sentiment, humanizing the calvary’s role within the broader context of the Indian Wars.

The Last Drop, one of only three sculptures that Schreyvogel produced, evolved from his painting with the same title; a practice highly unusual since many artists produced sculptures to study light, anatomy, and dimensions before painting. Both the painting and the sculpture portray the tender scene of a cavalryman using a hat as a water vessel for his thirsty horse. Since most western works focused on conflict and often depicted heroic tension, The Last Drop upends the narrative by depicting a soldier demonstrating compassion and sacrifice. First cast by the Roman Bronze Works in 1903, visitors can view this iconic and distinctive sculpture (cast #72) on display in the Whitney Western Art Museum at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, a gift of Mr. and Mrs. Ernest J. Goppert, Sr.