The Mountain Man

Number 54 was cast for the Remington Art Memorial under the direction of Eva Remington’s
will. The Mountain Man is an excellent example of the advantages of the lost wax casting process. In the first dozen or so castings, Remington was able to rework the positions of the horse and rider
between casts to achieve a more realistic stance. The Mountain Man depicts an Iroquois trapper at work in the Rockies. As horse and rider concentrate on descending the steep mountainside, one can see movement and physical qualities of the horse. Remington also devotes careful attention to the trapper’s accountrements including the traps, cup, buckskin clothing, and rifle.
This focus on detail is what lent convincing realism to Remington’s art from the very beginning,
making Eastern viewers feel that they were seeing the next best thing to witnessing the Old West
themselves.Remington created 22 different subjects in bronze. The Mountain Man was the ninth sculpture.