Cartoons & Comics: The Early Art of Tom Ryan
Cartoon. Tom Ryan, circa 1945, drawing. 2002.032.6. Tom Ryan Collection. Dickinson Research Center, National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. Acclaimed Western artist Tom Ryan (1922-2011) spoke often about those who inspired him: N.C. Wyeth, Howard Pyle, Frank Reilly, even Rembrandt. Yet sketches from the Museum’s Dickinson Research Center reveal another influence — cartoons and comic…
Vintage Black Heroes: The Chisholm Kid Exhibition
The first black cowboy to be featured in a comic strip, The Chisholm Kid appeared from 1950 – 1954 in the Pittsburgh Courier’s comic insert. To mark the 150th anniversary of the Chisholm Trail – and to pay homage to the 5,000 – 9,000 black cowboys who drove cattle along the trail from Texas to…
We the People: A Portrait of Early Oklahoma
Family portrait, circa 1915. Henry M. Wantland, photographer. Stillwater, Oklahoma. 2000.005.3.0654a. Robert E. Cunningham Collection, Dickinson Research Center, National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. In 1891, Henry M. Wantland and his young family arrived in Oklahoma Territory and settled in Stillwater, a small town born of the Land Run and bustling with opportunity and ambition.…
