Lot 38

Framed "On the Way to the Platte" Drawing by Frederic Remington

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Framed "On the Way to the Platte" Drawing by Frederic Remington

Estimate: $37,500 - $55,000

Starting Bid: $27,500

(0 Bids)

by Rock Island Auction Company
June 27, 2026 5:00 PM CDT
Live Auction
3600 Harwood Road
Bedford, TX, US 76021

Framed "On the Way to the Platte" Drawing by Frederic Remington Artist: Frederic Remington (1861-1909) Title: On the Way to the Platte Year Created: c. 1890 Medium: Ink wash on paper Size: 16 x 12 inches Frame Size: 34 x 30 inches Signed on the lower left Catalogue Raisonné: Hassrick & Webster, Frederic Remington Catalogue Raisonné, No. 1083 Literature: Century Magazine, November 1890 Frederic Remington’s On the Way to the Platte is a compelling example of the artist’s early illustration work that helped define the visual language of the American frontier. Executed in ink and wash, the composition captures a wagon party moving across the Great Plains toward the Platte River, one of the most important corridors of westward expansion. The central mounted figure, likely the wagon boss, rides slightly forward of the train and carries an unknown rifle at the ready housed in a beautifully rendered buckskin fringe scabbard, a practical and period correct detail. Drawings from this formative period, rooted in firsthand observation and created for publication, are especially prized for their immediacy and authenticity, representing the purest expression of Remington’s storytelling ability and helping shape how Americans and the world came to view the West. This drawing served as the basis for the engraving titled On the Way to the Platte used in John Bidwell’s article “The First Emigrant Train to California” published in Century Magazine in 1890, detailing Bidwell’s travels to California in the early 1840s before the gold rush. It is also featured in Frederic Remington: A Catalogue Raisonné of Paintings, Watercolors, and Drawings, catalogued as No. 1083. The label on the back of the frame reads “‘Fitzpatrick and the wagon Train’ By Frederic Remington” and “Loaned by Mr. and Mrs. Philip R. Norton”. Thomas “Broken Hand” Fitzpatrick (1799-1854) was a trapper and trader for the Rocky Mountain Fur Company and American Fur Company. He became a guide after the collapse of the fur trade in the early 1840s as well as an Indian agent. He served as a guide for John C. Fremont's second expedition in 1843 and third in 1845 as well as for Colonel Philip Kearny and the U.S. Dragoons at the beginning of the Mexican-American War.

Manufacturer: None

Model: None

Class: Other

  • Provenance: Mr. & Mrs. Philip R. Norton; A Private Collection 1955-2017; Sotheby's New York, October 2017; Coeur d'Alene Art Auction, July 2018; Scottsdale Art Auction, April 2021; Lone Star Art Auction, October 2023; A Private Collection from Arkansas
  • Condition: Excellent with distinct imagery, slight oxidized patina to the paper, and minor wear on the frame.

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $199 $10
$200 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 + $25,000