Stories for the Public, 1830–1860

Arthur Fitzwilliam Tait (American, 1819–1905)
The Life of a Hunter: A Tight Fix, 1856
Oil on canvas; 40 x 60 in. (101.6 x 152.4 cm)
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas

East coast audiences for paintings were captivated by the idea of the American West. Although Tait depicted the Adirondacks, his works allude to a mythic vision of the western frontier in which danger in the form of natives and man-eating animals lurked behind every rock and tree. Here, a black bear has surprised a hunter, who has only a knife with which to defend himself. Viewers would be reassured by the appearance of the hunter's partner drawing a bead on the bear from the safety of a few trees just yards away. Tait's scene echoes the content of the crude and violent woodcuts in Davy Crockett's Almanacks, a series of popular pamphlets celebrating the deeds of the frontier hero that were issued by several publishers in various cities between 1835 and 1856. Permeated by extraordinary racism and violence, these pamphlets emphasized a single theme: whether confronted by Indians or wild beasts, the white frontiersman would save the day.