When driving into Baldwin City, it’s hard to miss the rearing horse and cowboy bronze statue on the front lawn of the Mid-America Bank. So what is the history of this statue? Who sculpted it. Those were the questions we sought to find out. After searching the internet and asking around town, we finally went to Mid-America Bank and talked with Jeff Hill, Vice-President of the bank. According to Hill, it is a replica of Frederic Remington's "Wicked Pony."
About the "Wicked Pony" statue:
According to the article by Shannon J. Hatfield, on the Remington Art website “The Wicked Pony” (1898) was inspired a past event that Remington witnessed. Where a cowboy attempted to wrestle the horse, after being thrown from the animal. An event, which proved dangerous to the cowboy, after being fatally kicked.
Due to a fire only ten of the made, making this piece is one of Remington's rarer pieces.
About Frederic Remington:
Frederic Remington (1861–1909) was an American painter, illustrator, sculptor, and writer who specialized in depictions of the Old American West. Depicting the life of the cowboy during the 1880's and 1890's, in the opinion of many, better then any other artist of his time.
Growing up in Canton, New York, he left college at the age of 19, looking for adventure in the wild west. He operated his own ranch in Peabody, KS (north central Kansas) until failure became a reality in 1886. At which time he returned to the east coast. That same year he was commissioned by Harper's Weekly to cover the governments war against Geronimo, in Arizona as an illustrator.
He didn't actually start sculpting until 14 years before his death in 1909. His first clay sculpture, was “Bronco Buster” in 1895.
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| photographer Kevin Surbaugh |
About the "Wicked Pony" statue:
According to the article by Shannon J. Hatfield, on the Remington Art website “The Wicked Pony” (1898) was inspired a past event that Remington witnessed. Where a cowboy attempted to wrestle the horse, after being thrown from the animal. An event, which proved dangerous to the cowboy, after being fatally kicked.
Due to a fire only ten of the made, making this piece is one of Remington's rarer pieces.
 |
| photographer Kevin Surbaugh |
Frederic Remington (1861–1909) was an American painter, illustrator, sculptor, and writer who specialized in depictions of the Old American West. Depicting the life of the cowboy during the 1880's and 1890's, in the opinion of many, better then any other artist of his time.
Growing up in Canton, New York, he left college at the age of 19, looking for adventure in the wild west. He operated his own ranch in Peabody, KS (north central Kansas) until failure became a reality in 1886. At which time he returned to the east coast. That same year he was commissioned by Harper's Weekly to cover the governments war against Geronimo, in Arizona as an illustrator.
He didn't actually start sculpting until 14 years before his death in 1909. His first clay sculpture, was “Bronco Buster” in 1895.
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