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Relive Days of Freedom on the Western Plains Through the Artwork of Frank McCarthy “The Dean of Western Action Painters”
Frank C. McCarthy 1924-2002
About his painting, Frank McCarthy has said, “My artistic approach is not to do a historical document. It is more a portrayal of an event or scene that has happened many times in many places in the West. I give the scene the most possible visual impact. The detail is as accurate as I can make it.” He also stated, “After so many years of painting the West, I’ve never tired of painting it and the people who lived here in the 1800s.”
America Remembers introduces the Frank McCarthy American West Tribute Rifle. This collector firearm features two classic Frank McCarthy paintings of Indian warriors in action.
Few periods in the history of the United States have captured our collective imagination like the Old West. America’s expansion towards the Pacific between 1865 and 1890 was a time of exploration and possibility, courage and conflict… hope and catastrophe. Plains Indian tribes like the Cheyenne, Sioux, Blackfeet, Arapaho, Crow, and Comanche represented the untamed West. Today, their warrior legends survive in the oral history of the tribes, and in the accounts of writers and painters who witnessed first hand the changing frontier.
The bygone era when Plains Indians roamed freely on the plains in harmony with nature is magnificently portrayed today by a new generation of artists. One of today’s most honored and respected artists is Frank McCarthy, who has been called “The Dean of Western Action Painters,” and whose artwork magnificently captures the spirit of the Plains Indians of the Old West era. In honor of this historic period, and one of America’s foremost Western artists, America Remembers proudly presents, “The American West Tribute Rifle,” a handsomely decorated collector firearm based on classic paintings by Frank McCarthy.
For this first-ever collector firearm from America Remembers featuring artwork from Frank McCarthy, we knew it was important to select a rifle with a strong Western pedigree. With that in mind, no firearm seemed more appropriate than a classic, lever-action Winchester rifle, and the Winchester Model 94 was selected. In the lore of the Old West, Winchester rifles are viewed as synonymous with the Old West era.
Each working rifle is in caliber .30-30 with a 20-inch barrel. A legend in its own time, the Winchester Model 94 is an American icon. Introduced in 1894, Winchester predicted that “no repeating rifle will appeal to the eye and understanding of the rifleman as this will.” Now, after more than 100 years of production, the prediction has proven to be right on target.
Frank McCarthy’s love for his subject began as a small boy when a Wild West show visited his hometown. He never forgot the drama and emotion that arrived with those exiting men on horseback. Indeed, decades later, he would bring them vividly back to life.
Frank McCarthy’s interest always returned to the West, and he visited that part of the country often. In 1974, after more than 20 years as a commercial illustrator, McCarthy moved to Sedona, Arizona to paint full-time. In 1975, he was invited to join the Cowboy Artists of America. Since then, his work speaks for itself.
Frank McCarthy’s heroic images of the American West have captivated viewers for years. His vision is of an untamed land both savage and noble. His paintings capture the dream of mountain men, Cavalry riders, Native Americans, and cowboys struggling against nature, themselves, and each other.
Few other artists are able to seize an instant of excitement like Frank McCarthy, putting the viewer in the middle of a stampede or in the path of a charging warrior. Nor do many artists share his talent for depicting man and horse in action with such intensity. Through decades of brilliant work, up until his passing, Frank McCarthy certainly earned his title as “The Dean of Western Action Painters.”
For this Tribute, we selected five of Frank McCarthy’s legendary Plains Indian paintings. Craftsmen commissioned for this Tribute by America Remembers have captured Frank McCarthy’s remarkable artwork in magnificent detail, and translated the realism of the artwork to each Tribute. Each collector firearm is decorated in elegant 24-karat gold and nickel with a special blackened patinaed background to highlight the details. The polished walnut stocks are laser-carved with Frank McCarthy’s signature and features two classic McCarthy paintings of warriors in action.
The right side of the receiver of this collector firearm features “Charging the Challenger.” A Northern Plains warrior charges through a creek to meet his enemy. Wearing a buffalo headdress (denoting his high rank) he also brandishes a fur-wrapped lance. Also featured is “Lone Sentinel,” one of Frank McCarthy’s most iconic paintings as a Northern Cheyenne sentinel scans the horizon atop a rocky outcrop. Scanning the plains, he wears a buffalo headdress, breechclout, and beaded moccasins. In the center “The American West” is featured in a flowing banner, along with a depiction of Frank McCarthy’s signature.
The left side of the receiver of this collector firearm showcases “Rampage.” Few sights were as awe-inspiring as the spectacle of Plains Indians charging into battle. For them, combat was a contest for honor and respect.
RAMPAGE
The highly polished stocks are laser-carved with Frank McCarthy’s signature framed with decorative scrollwork. The right side features “Whirling, He Raced To Meet The Challenge,” and the left side features “Out Of The Rising Mist,” classic McCarthy paintings of warriors in action.
Only 300 Available
Only 300 of the Frank McCarthy American West Tribute Rifles will ever be produced. Reservations will be accepted in the order they are received. We will arrange delivery of your working collector firearm through a licensed firearms dealer of your choice. If for any reason you are less than satisfied, you may return it in original, unfired condition within 30 days for a full refund. Your Tribute will be individually numbered, from 001-300, and shipped with a matching numbered Certificate of Authenticity, which will confirm your place among the elite ranks of collectors.
Order now, and you can revisit a time when America was young, when the vast wilderness ruled and the Plains Indians freely roamed the plains. This Tribute is a stirring reminder of an era when the Plains Indians lived proud and free on the Western frontier, depending on the bounties of nature to supply them with all their needs. It also stands as a celebration of an artist who dedicated much of his life and career to preserving the honor and majesty of the Native Americans, and an era, that we should never forget.
The images produced herein have been licensed to America Remembers by The Greenwich Workshop®, Inc.; ©Frank McCarthy, ©The Greenwich Workshop, Inc.–www.greenwichworkshop.com.
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