''American Progress'' is an 1872 painting by
John Gast, a
Prussian
Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an e ...
-born painter, printer, and
lithographer
Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It was invented in 1796 by the German a ...
who lived and worked most of his life during 1870's
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
, New York. ''American Progress'', an allegory of
Manifest Destiny
Manifest destiny was a cultural belief in the 19th century in the United States, 19th-century United States that American settlers were destined to expand across North America.
There were three basic tenets to the concept:
* The special vir ...
, was widely disseminated in
chromolithographic prints. It is now held by the
Autry Museum of the American West
The Autry Museum of the American West is a museum in Los Angeles, California, dedicated to exploring an inclusive history of the American West. Founded in 1988, the museum presents a wide range of exhibitions and public programs, including le ...
in Los Angeles, California.
Description
''American Progress'' has become a seminal example of American Western art. The painting serves as an allegory for Manifest Destiny and American
westward expansion
The United States of America was created on July 4, 1776, with the U.S. Declaration of Independence of thirteen British colonies in North America. In the Lee Resolution two days prior, the colonies resolved that they were free and independe ...
. The painting was commissioned in 1872 by George Crofutt, a publisher of American Western travel guides, and has since been frequently reproduced. The woman in the center is
Columbia, the personification of the United States, and on her head is what Crofutt calls "The Star of the Empire." Columbia moves from the light-skied east to the dark and treacherous West, leading settlers who follow her either on foot or by
stagecoach
A stagecoach is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by four horses although some versions are draw ...
, horseback,
Conestoga wagon,
wagon train
''Wagon Train'' is an American Western series that aired 8 seasons: first on the NBC television network (1957–1962), and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and became number one in the Nielsen ratings ...
, or riding
steam train
A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomot ...
s. Progress lays a
telegraph
Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas p ...
wire with one hand and carries a school book in the other. On the right side of the painting, in the East,
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
can be seen in the background, while farmers that have already settled in the Midwest are featured in the foreground. As Lady Columbia moves westward, indigenous people and a herd of
buffalo flee from her and the settlers who follow.
References
External links
Essay on ''Spirit of the frontier'' by historian Martha A. Sandweiss of Amherst CollegeIncludes high resolution version of the painting
*The Library of Congress -
Works by Gast from the Department of Drawings and PrintsEntry in Goulding's New York City directory (1877) listing him as ''GAST JOHN, artist & lithographer, 39 Park pl. h B'klyn''
Short biography, list of references, and examples of work on askart.comWorks by Gast in the general Catalog''New approved method of zinc etching or photo-zinc-engraving'' (1886), by Gastby Samantha Rothenberg
{{Authority control
1872 paintings
Paintings in Los Angeles
Bears in art
Bison in art
Books in art
Cattle in art
Deer in art
Horses in art
Native Americans in art
Trains in art
Water in art
Wolves in art