C.M. Russell Museum Custom Prints
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Charlie's Decades

About the Artwork

Cowboy on a Bay Horse, c.1895. Charles M. Russell.
Watercolor on paper, 13 3/4 x 19 3/4 inches. Charles M. Russell Museum, Museum Purchase with Funds from anonymous donor.

The dozen years Charles M. Russell spent as a night herder for Montana cattle outfits provided him with an indelible identity as a "Cowboy Artist" and an inexhaustible supply of colorful subjects. Cowboy on a Bay Horse is one of just over two dozen known equestrian portraits the artist produced of individual range riders during his productive career. Most of these watercolor and/or pen and ink works, including this one, date to the 1890s. Although the identity of the confident cowpuncher in the image is unknown, Russell often portrayed pals with whom he had ridden the range. The horse's right hip bears a pinwheel-shaped brand that appears in more than one Russell painting. The design had been used on Montana cattle as early as 1874. In 1883, the year after Russell worked his Sutherland and W.S. Springs of Meagher County became the first in the territory to register a horse brand of that design and anatomical location. In the years that followed, ranches in Beaverhead, Fergus, Yellowstone, Flathead, Jefferson, and Lewis and Clark Counties also applies the brand to various places on both horses and cattle

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Made to Order
On-Demand Printing
All of our products are printed on-demand for each order. We adhere to strict production processes to ensure that the quality and consistency of every order matches the expectations of our institution and our customers.
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Premium Materials
Archival Quality
We exclusively use 230 gsm archival paper and gallery-quality canvas substrates in our production process. The 12-color pigment ink printers we use produce incredibly accurate color reproduction, outstanding image clarity, and enhanced detail.
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Starting with the image size and the substrate, you can customize your print to match your needs and space. Then you can select a frame moulding from an assortment of high-quality options that you can tailor to suit the image and your decor.

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Museum members will receive their member discount for all orders placed through our Custom Prints store. Simply enter your exclusive membership coupon code during the checkout process.

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