The Cowboy Still Stands Tall

Collectors and auction houses still profit from cowboy art and collectibles.

He was an heroic, romantic figure in his day—but his day has gone. The old-time cowboy of forty years ago is almost an exclusive motion picture figure now,” wrote the Los Angeles Times on September 19, 1922. Thanks to those motion picture figures, the stories of the cowboys became larger than life, elevating a time that was comparatively short in American history to the stuff of legends. One cowboy actor became legendary as well…John Wayne.

Today, artifacts associated with John Wayne are very collectible. On November 18, 2023, commemorative firearms belonging to John Wayne’s son Patrick were featured at Richmond Auctions’ Premier Firearms and Sports-man Auction. Reflecting John Wayne’s popularity, a set of three John Wayne Commemorative Colt Single Action Army Revolvers sold for $51,750. Just seven sets were produced by Colt and presented only to Wayne family members. A pair of Winchester Model 1894 John Wayne Commemorative Lever Action Rifles also sold for $18,400. Part of a limited edition of three hundred rifles, they featured the large loop lever favored by Wayne and had scenes from his movies engraved on their sides.

Two paintings of cowboys on an evening ride over the open range gathered high prices at the Scottsdale auction. Mark Maggiori’s Everlast Sundown captured $93,600 while G. Harvey’s Rancher’s Reward went for $76,050. Courtesy Scottsdale Art Auction

The old-time cowboys the Los Angeles Times referred to in 1922, as well as contemporary cowhands and ranchers, are also popular subjects in Western art. Paintings of American cowboys commanded some of the highest prices at Scottsdale Art Auction’s first online auction on August 26, 2023. It was an iconic painting that captured the highest price at the online auction. Lon Megargee’s The Last Drop from His Stetson, an image found on the liner inside Stetson’s cowboy hats, sold for $105,300.

Mark Maggiori’s Everlast Sun-down, depicting three cowboys riding at sunset, fetched $93,600. The price reflects the popularity of such scenes as well as Maggiori’s growing reputation as a painter. A similar scene by G. Harvey, Rancher’s Reward, hammered down for $76,050. The calm scene shown in Logan Maxwell Hagege’s Pueblo Cowboy, which sold for $49,725, was a marked contrast with Olaf Wieghorst’s Bustin’ Out. In that painting, which sold for $64,350, a cowboy is thrown from his seat on a bucking bronco as both bust through a corral fence. A corral fence is also the support for three cowboys in Howard Post’s Horse Tradin’, which sold for $22,230.

The Last Drop from His Stetson is a familiar image to anyone who has owned a Stetson cowboy hat. This painting, which is used on the lining of the hats, was created by Lon Megargee and sold for $105,300 at the Scottsdale Art Auction. Courtesy Scottsdale Art Auction

The cowboy art at the Scottsdale Art Auction shows the timeless nature of a cowhand’s life, with scenes that could have taken place 100 years ago, or just last week. Similarly, there is something timeless about the appeal of movie Westerns and the popularity of stars like John Wayne, who draw as much interest as they did in their heyday. The 1922 Los Angeles Times article was wrong, the cowboy’s day has not passed.