Following the success of Remington’s first sculpture, The Bronco Buster, which depicts a cowboy taming a wild horse, the artist created The Wounded Bunkie, an emotionally charged work in which a U.S. Cavalry soldier supports his wounded brother-in-arms. Here Remington deftly accomplishes a difficult task: rendering two figures in a moment of intense action, while realistically portraying a pair of horses in full gallop. The composition masters a delicate balancing act—only one leg of each horse touches the base. The realism of the horses’ gait was undoubtedly informed by the photographer Eadweard Muybridge’s well-known motion studies, published in the album Animal Locomotion in 1887. An artistic tour de force, The Wounded Bunkie is the most significant sculpture in the Museum’s American collection, owing not only to the composition’s raw power, but also to the fact that this is the first cast in the series, as indicated by the letter A incised on its base.
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- Titles The Wounded Bunkie (Proper)@My Bunkie (Alternate)
- Artist Frederic Remington, American, 1861 - 1909@Cast by, Henry-Bonnard Bronze Company, United States, New York, operated 1882 - 1926
- Medium bronze
- Dimensions 20 3/4 x 11 x 31 in. (52.7 x 27.9 x 78.7 cm)
- Credit Line Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Harold E. Simon, 1973.148
- Work Type sculpture
- Classification Sculpture
- Inscription On the top of the base, left rear and facing the edges just back of the skull that lies on the ground: COPYRIGHTED BY FREDERIC REMINGTON 1896 [The letter "A" appears within the "F" of Remington's signature.] On the top of the base, right side rear, near the edge: "CAST BY THE HENRY BONNARD BRONZE CO. N. Y. 1896" in small letters. Above this line of lettering, over the end of the word BRONZE is a single isolated letter "A" indicating that this is the first letter cast.
- Provenance Walstein C. Findlay, Jr. (1904-1996), Findlay Galleries, Inc., Chicago [see note 1]; purchased by Dr. Harold E. Simon (1897-1982) and Mrs. Regina P. Simon (1899-1995), Birmingham, Alabama, 1962 [see note 2]; gift to the Birmingham Museum of Art, Alabama, 1973
1. According to a September 13, 1960 letter from Walstein C. Findlay, Jr., Findlay Galleries, Inc., Chicago to Dr. Harold E. Simon, Birmingham, Alabama, The Wounded Bunkie came from Findlay’s personal collection. He writes, “I would appreciate your making your checks payable to me, Walstein C. Findlay, Jr., as the bronze is my property.” See object file.
2. According to January 26, 1962 receipt from Findlay Galleries, Inc., Chicago to Dr. Harold E. Simon, Birmingham, Alabama. See object file.
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