the collector's folio

Charles Marion Russell Most Popular Paintings

The 25 artworks by Charles Marion Russell our visitors ask for most, ranked by popularity and presented one by one, with the specification and the price of each hand-painted reproduction.

Edition 2026 · 25 artworks Each artwork painted to order
Linen canvas · Certificate of authenticity · Delivered worldwide Charles Marion Russell · 1864 – 1926

Wild Horse Hunters

1913 · Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth · original 76 x 119 cm

Experience the grandeur of the American West through Charles M. Russell’s iconic painting ‘Wild Horse Hunters,’ showcasing cowboys pursuing wild horses against a dramatic Montana landscape.

Technique: Hand-painted oil on linen canvas
Made: To order, by a trained painter
Popularity: No. 1 of 507 artworks by Charles Marion Russell
Delivery: Worldwide, about 5 weeks

from$22540 × 25 cm Commission this artwork

Same size as the original$461119 × 76 cm Commission at original size

Smoke of a .45

1908 · Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth

Experience 'Smoke of a .45' by Charles Marion Russell – a dramatic Western scene capturing gunfire and cowboy life with expressive brushstrokes. A captivating piece from the iconic artist.

Technique: Hand-painted oil on linen canvas
Made: To order, by a trained painter
Popularity: No. 2 of 507 artworks by Charles Marion Russell
Delivery: Worldwide, about 5 weeks

from$17539 × 26 cm Commission this artwork

The Piegans Preparing to Steal Horses from the Crows

1888 · Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, Madrid

Experience Charles Marion Russell's iconic 'The Piegans Preparing to Steal Horses.' A stunning oil painting reproduction capturing the American West’s raw beauty and Native American culture.

Technique: Hand-painted oil on linen canvas
Made: To order, by a trained painter
Popularity: No. 3 of 507 artworks by Charles Marion Russell
Delivery: Worldwide, about 5 weeks

from$17541 × 24 cm Commission this artwork

An Enemy That Warns

1921 · Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth · original 20 x 13 cm

This detailed analysis delves into ‘An Enemy That Warns,’ a monumental bronze sculpture by C.M. Russell, examining its artistic style, symbolism, materials, provenance, and biographical context within Russell’s life as a cowboy artist and storyteller.

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To Noses That Read, a Smell That Spells Man

1920 · Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth · original 21 x 11 cm

Charles Marion Russell's 'To Noses That Read' captures the raw power of a cougar with bronze artistry, reflecting the artist’s iconic Western style and legacy.

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A Tight Dally and a Loose Latigo

1920 · Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth · original 122 x 76 cm

Experience the rugged beauty of the American West through Charles Marion Russell’s ‘A Tight Dally and a Loose Latigo.’ A dynamic painting capturing cowboys herding cattle, showcasing his signature style & Western spirit.

Technique: Hand-painted oil on linen canvas
Made: To order, by a trained painter
Popularity: No. 6 of 507 artworks by Charles Marion Russell
Delivery: Worldwide, about 5 weeks

from$27540 × 25 cm Commission this artwork

Same size as the original$518122 × 76 cm Commission at original size

Indian Women Moving

1898 · Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth

Experience the spirit of the American West through Charles Marion Russell’s ‘Indian Women Moving,’ a masterful oil painting capturing Native American resilience and connection to nature.

Technique: Hand-painted oil on linen canvas
Made: To order, by a trained painter
Popularity: No. 7 of 507 artworks by Charles Marion Russell
Delivery: Worldwide, about 5 weeks

from$17538 × 26 cm Commission this artwork

Crow Indians Hunting Elk

1890 · Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth · original 61 x 46 cm

Charles Marion Russell’s ‘Crow Indians Hunting Elk’ captures the rugged beauty of the American West. This oil painting depicts Native Americans pursuing elk, showcasing his signature Western realism and masterful brushwork.

Technique: Hand-painted oil on linen canvas
Made: To order, by a trained painter
Popularity: No. 8 of 507 artworks by Charles Marion Russell
Delivery: Worldwide, about 5 weeks

from$20036 × 27 cm Commission this artwork

Same size as the original$25461 × 46 cm Commission at original size

Lake McDonald

1901 · Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth

Discover Charles Marion Russell's 'Lake McDonald,' a stunning landscape painting capturing the serene beauty of Montana’s glacial lake. Explore this iconic work by the Cowboy Artist.

Technique: Hand-painted oil on linen canvas
Made: To order, by a trained painter
Popularity: No. 9 of 507 artworks by Charles Marion Russell
Delivery: Worldwide, about 5 weeks

from$17538 × 26 cm Commission this artwork

The Medicine Man [No. 2]

1908 · Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth

Charles Marion Russell’s "The Medicine Man \[No. 2]" (1908) captures the spirit of the American West. Romantic style, loose brushwork & Native American themes create a grand, evocative landscape painting.

Technique: Hand-painted oil on linen canvas
Made: To order, by a trained painter
Popularity: No. 10 of 507 artworks by Charles Marion Russell
Delivery: Worldwide, about 5 weeks

from$17540 × 25 cm Commission this artwork

Buffalo Lying Down

1924 · Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth · original 18 x 10 cm

Charles Marion Russell's 'Buffalo Lying Down' captures a bronze sculpture of a majestic buffalo, showcasing the artist’s mastery of realism and his deep connection to the American West. Explore its details!

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Indian Women Moving

1898 · Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth · original 91 x 61 cm

Charles Marion Russell’s ‘Indian Women Moving,’ painted in 1898, captures the spirit of the American West with loose brushstrokes and evocative color palettes—a testament to his immersive cowboy life and enduring vision.

Technique: Hand-painted oil on linen canvas
Made: To order, by a trained painter
Popularity: No. 12 of 507 artworks by Charles Marion Russell
Delivery: Worldwide, about 5 weeks

from$22539 × 26 cm Commission this artwork

Same size as the original$35991 × 61 cm Commission at original size

Medicine Man [No. 4]

1916

Experience the bold colors and earthy tones of Charles Marion Russell's 1916 Medicine Man [No. 4], capturing the spirit of the American West; discover this iconic piece today.

Technique: Hand-painted oil on linen canvas
Made: To order, by a trained painter
Popularity: No. 13 of 507 artworks by Charles Marion Russell
Delivery: Worldwide, about 5 weeks

from$17527 × 36 cm Commission this artwork

The Buffalo Hunt [No. 39]

1919 · Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth · original 122 x 76 cm

Experience the rugged beauty of the American West through Charles Marion Russell’s iconic paintings! ‘The Buffalo Hunt’ captures a thrilling Native American hunt with vibrant detail and masterful realism.

Technique: Hand-painted oil on linen canvas
Made: To order, by a trained painter
Popularity: No. 14 of 507 artworks by Charles Marion Russell
Delivery: Worldwide, about 5 weeks

from$22540 × 25 cm Commission this artwork

Same size as the original$468122 × 76 cm Commission at original size

Buffalo Hunt

1905 · Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth · original 46 x 25 cm

Explore the captivating world of Charles Marion Russell, the ‘Cowboy Artist’ who immortalized the American West through stunning paintings & bronze sculptures. Discover his life, art, and legacy.

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Meat's Not Meat 'Till It's in the Pan - Charles Marion Russell

2026

Discover Charles Marion Russell’s Romantic masterpiece, 'Meat's Not Meat Till It's in the Pan,' a vibrant acrylic canvas capturing a lone hunter against a turbulent lake. Own this evocative art today.

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Wild Horse Hunters [No. 2]

1913 · Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth

Charles Russell's "Wild Horse Hunters" captures the iconic American West with cowboys pursuing wild horses—a stunning oil painting showcasing his mastery and romantic vision.

Technique: Hand-painted oil on linen canvas
Made: To order, by a trained painter
Popularity: No. 17 of 507 artworks by Charles Marion Russell
Delivery: Worldwide, about 5 weeks

from$17540 × 25 cm Commission this artwork

Men of the Open Range

1923

Experience Charles Marion Russell’s ‘Men of the Open Range’! A stunning oil painting capturing the American West’s spirit. Explore this romantic masterpiece & its rich details.

Technique: Hand-painted oil on linen canvas
Made: To order, by a trained painter
Popularity: No. 18 of 507 artworks by Charles Marion Russell
Delivery: Worldwide, about 5 weeks

from$25039 × 26 cm Commission this artwork

Where the Best of Riders Quit

1922 · Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth · original 25 x 36 cm

Charles Marion Russell's "Where the Best of Riders Quit" captures a thrilling rodeo moment with dynamic energy and bronze texture. Witness a cowboy’s daring fall, showcasing Western grit & artistry.

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Smoke of a .45

1908 · Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth · original 92 x 61 cm

Experience the raw energy of Charles Marion Russell’s ‘Smoke of a .45,’ a dramatic Western scene capturing gunfire and cowboy life with expressive brushstrokes & earthy colors.

Technique: Hand-painted oil on linen canvas
Made: To order, by a trained painter
Popularity: No. 20 of 507 artworks by Charles Marion Russell
Delivery: Worldwide, about 5 weeks

from$22539 × 26 cm Commission this artwork

Same size as the original$36192 × 61 cm Commission at original size

Huntsman and Dogs

1898 · Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth · original 37 x 26 cm

Charles Marion Russell's "Huntsman and Dogs" captures the American West with vibrant watercolors depicting cowboys & Native Americans. Explore this iconic piece from the renowned 'Cowboy Artist'. #art #westernart #russell

Technique: Hand-painted oil on linen canvas
Made: To order, by a trained painter
Popularity: No. 21 of 507 artworks by Charles Marion Russell
Delivery: Worldwide, about 5 weeks

from$17538 × 27 cm Commission this artwork

The Stand/Crossing the Missouri

1889 · Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth

Charles Marion Russell’s ‘The Stand,’ Crossing the Missouri’, painted in 1889, showcases a serene depiction of bison traversing a river landscape. This evocative piece embodies Russell’s lifelong fascination with the West and his ability to translate its essence onto canvas.

Technique: Hand-painted oil on linen canvas
Made: To order, by a trained painter
Popularity: No. 22 of 507 artworks by Charles Marion Russell
Delivery: Worldwide, about 5 weeks

from$17539 × 26 cm Commission this artwork

Sun Worship in Montana

1907 · Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth · original 44 x 56 cm

Explore 'Sun Worship in Montana' by Charles Marion Russell! This 1907 oil painting captures Indigenous ritual with realistic detail & impasto texture. A stunning piece of American art.

Technique: Hand-painted oil on linen canvas
Made: To order, by a trained painter
Popularity: No. 23 of 507 artworks by Charles Marion Russell
Delivery: Worldwide, about 5 weeks

from$17528 × 36 cm Commission this artwork

Same size as the original$21944 × 56 cm Commission at original size

Meat for Wild Men

1924 · Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth · original 95 x 29 cm

Explore Charles Marion Russell’s ‘Meat for Wild Men,’ a dynamic bronze sculpture capturing the intensity of a bullfight. Discover realism & expressive detail in this iconic Western artwork.

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[Saddled horse]

1920 · Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth · original 13 x 11 cm

Charles Marion Russell’s “Saddled Horse”: A masterful bronze sculpture capturing the spirit of the American West, featuring a horse on a sturdy base and intricate saddle details—a testament to Russell's lifelong devotion to Montana landscapes.

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The artist

Charles Marion Russell

1864 – 1926

Quick facts

Born1864, St. Louis, United States
Best occasionsstatement, accent
Died1926
Topics exploredamerican west, arts, native americans, animals, horses
Color intensitybalanced
NationalityUnited States
Top-ranked workWild Horse Hunters
Also known asCharles M. Russell, Charles Russell, C. M. Russell, Charley Russell, Charlie Russell

Biography

Early Life and Formative Years

Charles Marion Russell was born on March 19, 1864, in St. Louis, Missouri. Even as a young boy, his hands were rarely still; he spent much of his time filling the margins and pages of his schoolbooks with sketches of cowboys and Indians. These early drawings were not for an audience, but were simply the way he processed the stories he heard. By the age of sixteen, the classroom no longer held his interest. He left traditional schooling behind and headed toward the Judith Basin in Montana Territory to find work as a cowboy.

The life of a ranch hand was a hard one, but it provided the raw material for his later observations. A significant part of his development came through a two-year apprenticeship with Jake Hoover, a hunter and trader. Russell lived and worked in Hoover’s cabin on the South Fork of the Judith River. This was not a formal education in a studio, but a practical immersion in the wilderness. Through Hoover, he learned the mechanics of survival and the nuances of horsemanship. He watched how animals moved and how the land changed with the weather, absorbing details that would later find their way onto his canvases.

Life and Work in the West

The life of a cowboy is measured in long hours and quiet observation. In 1882, Russell took a job as a night herder for several cattle outfits in the Judith Basin. This role meant spending much of his time under the stars, watching over livestock in the Montana territory. He spent eleven years working as a cowboy and wrangler, moving through the Judith Basin, Cascade, and Great Falls. These years were spent in the dirt and the wind, learning the rhythms of the ranch before he retired in 1893 to focus on his art full-time.

During the summer of 1888, he lived near the camps of the Blackfoot, Piegan, and Blood Indians in Alberta, Canada. This time spent among the tribes provided a close look at their ways of life. He carried these observations with him as he moved through the frontier. By 1897, he and his wife moved from the community of Cascade, Montana, to Great Falls, where he would spend much of his remaining time.

Marriage and Professional Success

In 1896, Russell married Nancy Cooper. While he focused on his sketches and the grit of frontier life, Nancy took charge of the business side of his career. She acted as his manager and promoter, organizing shows across the United States and even as far as London. It was through her guidance and steady support that his work moved from local sketches to gaining national recognition. She understood the market for his depictions of the West in a way he did not, helping to build a following among collectors, including actors and filmmakers.

The couple eventually settled in Great Falls, Montana. In 1900, they built a modest frame house, and about three years later, they added a log studio. This studio became a repository for the tools of his trade, filled with Indian clothing, utilitarian objects, weapons, and cowboy gear. It was a space where the physical remnants of the life he painted sat alongside his working materials. This stability in Great Falls allowed him to continue his work as a painter, sculptor, and storyteller for the remainder of his life.

Artistic Style and Subject Matter

Russell’s work focuses on the movement of life in the West. He spent his time observing cowboys, Native Americans, landscapes, and wildlife. His paintings often capture a sense of dynamic action, showing the tension in a bucking horse or the sudden movement of a hunt. He had a way of painting fictional history, constructing scenes that felt lived-in even when they were imagined. This narrative approach turned his canvases into stories of the frontier.

He worked with many different materials to record what he saw. His hands moved between oil paintings and watercolors, and he used ink and drawings to capture quick observations. Beyond the flat surface of a canvas, he shaped wax, clay, plaster, and bronze to create sculptures. His style leaned toward a distinctive realism, focusing on the grit and the actual textures of the land and the people who worked it.

Key Works and Notable Pieces

His early sketches often captured the tension of the frontier. In 1888, he produced The Piegans Preparing to Steal Horses from the Crows, a work that reflects his time spent observing the ways of the Northern Plains Indians. By 1890, his focus shifted toward the textures of life on the range, seen in The Silk Robe. These early pieces show a man learning to see the world through the eyes of those living on its edge.

As his years as a cowboy settled into a life of painting, his subjects grew more focused on the physical struggle of the West. In 1904, he painted A Bad Hoss, a scene of a cowboy facing a bucking bronco. This was followed by Indian on Horseback in 1907, which uses a muted palette of browns and ochres to show a solitary rider moving across dusty terrain. He used watercolor and layering to give the surface a sense of windblown sand.

The movement of livestock and the weight of the landscape remained central to his output. His 1913 painting, American Cattle, captures the heavy reality of ranch work. His work often moved from simple illustration toward a style with looser brushwork and bolder colors, focusing on the grit of the environment rather than a polished version of history.

The Piegans Preparing to Steal Horses from the Crows (1888)
The Silk Robe (1890)
A Bad Hoss (1904)
Indian on Horseback (1907)
American Cattle (1913)

Legacy and Enduring Influence

Russell left behind a massive body of work, with more than 2,000 paintings that focused on cowboys, Native Americans, and the landscapes of the West. His influence extended beyond the canvas and into the social fabric of the frontier. He used his position to advocate for Native American rights, specifically supporting the efforts of the landless Chippewa to establish a reservation in Montana. This commitment to the people he painted helped ensure their presence remained part of the historical record.

His presence remains felt in the towns of Montana. In Great Falls, his name is carried by both an elementary school and a high school. The C.M. Russell Museum Complex in Great Falls also preserves the life he lived, holding much of the work he produced during his years as a ranch hand and a full-time artist. These sites keep his observations of the Judith Basin and the surrounding territories accessible to those who visit.

Where to See His Works Today

Finding his traces requires looking through several different collections across the country and beyond. In Fort Worth, the Amon Carter Museum of American Art holds a significant number of his pieces. You might find his depictions of cattle or the movement of horses within their halls. His presence is also felt in the Whitney Western Art Museum, where his work remains part of the permanent record of the frontier.

For those seeking a deeper connection to his life in Montana, the C.M. Russell Museum Complex in Great Falls houses an extensive collection. This site preserves much of the spirit of the places he lived and worked. His paintings have also traveled far from the Judith Basin; the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in Madrid holds several of his works, placing his vision of the West in a European context.

The Piegans Preparing to Steal Horses from the Crows
The Silk Robe
Indian on Horseback
Buffalo Hunt

Questions & Answers

What are the birthplace and birth year of Charles Marion Russell?

Charles Marion Russell was born in St. Louis in 1864.

In which historical period did Charles Marion Russell work?

Charles Marion Russell worked in the 19th-Century period. The period situates the artist's activity in history.

Where are Charles Marion Russell's artworks grouped by keywords?

The By Keywords page of Charles Marion Russell groups the artist's artworks by their keywords.

By the ArtsDot.com Editorial Team Updated Oct. 15, 2026

Collector's quiz

Where was Charles Marion Russell born?
In what year did Russell transition to being a full-time artist?
Which group of people did Russell live among in Alberta, Canada, during the summer of 1888?
Who was responsible for managing and promoting Russell's career?
What was the title of the book of short stories published a year after Russell's death?

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