A band of indigenous Americans ride horses toward and through a herd of buffalo, which spreads along a river that winds through plains to mountains in the deep distance in this horizontal landscape painting. The scene is lit with golden light that warms the browns and harvest yellow of the landscape. Several dead or injured buffalo lie across the ground close to us, along with the body of one hunter, barely visible between the bodies of two animals. Just beyond the corpses, one hunter rides a rearing white horse as he lifts a spear lined with feathers high over a charging buffalo to our right of center. Facing away from us, the rider has light brown skin and a feather headdress over long dark hair. He wears a pumpkin-orange loincloth and red and orange bands encircle the ankle, thigh, wrist, and upper arm facing us. Sage-green grass grows in tufts on the dirt ground, which is littered with several animal skulls around the charging buffalo and rider. A smaller buffalo looks on from our left, and a prairie dog pokes its head out of hole in the ground in the lower left corner. A little distance away to our right, along the edge of the canvas, seven hunters gallop into the scene, leaning forward over their horses’ necks. The dozen or so buffalo nearby, as well as a fox and two deer, move away from the hunters, headed to our left. Hundreds of buffalo dot the landscape along the banks of the winding river and some wade in the water. A few trees rise on the plain but the land is mostly flat until it reaches the mountains and cliffs along the horizon, which comes halfway up this composition. Forms along the horizon could be a line of clouds or snow-covered moutains in the deep distance. A few wispy white clouds float across the watery blue sky above. The artist signed the work in the lower right corner: “Albert Bierstadt.”

The Last of the Buffalo

Albert Bierstadt

A band of indigenous Americans ride horses toward and through a herd of buffalo, which spreads along a river that winds through plains to mountains in the deep distance in this horizontal landscape painting. The scene is lit with golden light that warms the browns and harvest yellow of the landscape. Several dead or injured buffalo lie across the ground close to us, along with the body of one hunter, barely visible between the bodies of two animals. Just beyond the corpses, one hunter rides a rearing white horse as he lifts a spear lined with feathers high over a charging buffalo to our right of center. Facing away from us, the rider has light brown skin and a feather headdress over long dark hair. He wears a pumpkin-orange loincloth and red and orange bands encircle the ankle, thigh, wrist, and upper arm facing us. Sage-green grass grows in tufts on the dirt ground, which is littered with several animal skulls around the charging buffalo and rider. A smaller buffalo looks on from our left, and a prairie dog pokes its head out of hole in the ground in the lower left corner. A little distance away to our right, along the edge of the canvas, seven hunters gallop into the scene, leaning forward over their horses’ necks. The dozen or so buffalo nearby, as well as a fox and two deer, move away from the hunters, headed to our left. Hundreds of buffalo dot the landscape along the banks of the winding river and some wade in the water. A few trees rise on the plain but the land is mostly flat until it reaches the mountains and cliffs along the horizon, which comes halfway up this composition. Forms along the horizon could be a line of clouds or snow-covered moutains in the deep distance. A few wispy white clouds float across the watery blue sky above. The artist signed the work in the lower right corner: “Albert Bierstadt.”

Colors in this work

Details
Artist
Albert Bierstadt
Date
1888-1889
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
overall: 180.3 × 301.63 cm (71 × 118 3/4 in.) framed: 217.17 × 339.09 × 15.24 cm (85 1/2 × 133 1/2 × 6 in.)
Department
CAB
Holding institution
National Gallery of Art
Palette

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Image provider
national-gallery-of-art
License
CC0-1.0
Credit
Corcoran Collection (Gift of Mary Stewart Bierstadt [Mrs. Albert Bierstadt], 1909)

Art Genome Taxonomy

12 tags

Subject Matter

  • Landscapes and Waterscapes Both · 100%

    A broad plain, winding river, trees, distant mountains, and atmospheric space dominate the horizontal composition.

  • Animals Both · 100%

    The image prominently depicts a large herd of buffalo, horses, deer, a fox, and birds; the catalog describes the animals in the scene.

  • Water Both · 99%

    A winding river crosses the plain, with buffalo visible along its banks and in the water.

  • Equestrian Both · 100%

    Several riders are shown on horseback, including a central rider on a rearing white horse and additional riders entering from the right.

  • Movement Visual · 99%

    Rearing and galloping horses, charging buffalo, and the directional arrangement of the figures create pronounced movement across the foreground and middle ground.

  • Implied Narrative Both · 99%

    The catalog describes mounted Indigenous American hunters pursuing buffalo, while the image visibly stages this coordinated action.

  • Mortality Both · 99%

    Dead or injured buffalo, skulls, bones, and a barely visible human body are concentrated in the foreground and introduce mortality into the scene.

  • Racial and Ethnic Identity Both · 90%

    The museum description identifies the riders as Indigenous Americans, and the image depicts their distinctive presence within the hunting scene.

  • Atmospheric Landscapes Visual · 95%

    Atmospheric haze visibly softens the distant plains, cliffs, and mountain-like forms, producing a broad atmospheric landscape.

Medium and Techniques

  • Painting Both · 100%

    The museum classifies the work as a painting, and the image visibly presents a large painted composition.

  • Oil Painting Both · 100%

    The catalog identifies the medium as oil on canvas; the image shows blended, modeled painted passages characteristic of oil painting.

Time Periods

  • 19th Century Art Metadata · 100%

    The museum dates the work to 1888–1889, placing it within the nineteenth century.

Source & rights

Albert Bierstadt. The Last of the Buffalo. Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington.

High-resolution sources

Catalog record ↗ Image source ↗ Image license ↗ Image-use terms ↗ Catalog metadata terms ↗

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