Old Blue (Horses I’ve Known)

Additional Information

Provenance:
The Abe Hays Collection, Scottsdale, AZ

Exhibited:
Autry Museum Exhibit October 3, 97-Jan 4, 98
Cow-Boy dans L'ame, Musee De La Civilisation, Quebec, April 10, 2002- March 15, 2003

Literature:
Western Horseman Vol. 57, No. 8, Randy Witte, August 1992, cover.
Russell's WEST Volume 3, No. 2, The C.M. Russell Museum Magazine, 1995, cover.
Horses I Have Known, Will James, Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, NY, 1940, cover.
Noticias, Quarterly Magazine of the Santa Barbara Historical Society, Volume XLVII, No. 3, Autumn 2001, illustrated pg 69

"Old Blue got rode and roped off of harder than ever for a spell."

Old Blue (Horses I've Known) is among the most significant works by the artist, serving as the cover illustration for his 1940 publication Horses I Have Known. The composition captures James' remarkable ability to convey the individuality and character of the horse through confident line and expressive form, qualities that made his illustrations enduring classics of Western literature. The work's exceptional importance is further underscored by its extensive publication history, having also appeared on the covers of Western Horseman and Russell's WEST, as well as in the Noticias journal of the Santa Barbara Historical Society. From the distinguished Abe Hays Collection and exhibited at the Autry Museum of the American West, this original illustration represents a rare opportunity to acquire one of Will James' most iconic and widely recognized published works.

Will James (1892–1942) occupies a singular place in the history of Western American art and literature. A working cowboy before he achieved recognition as an artist and author, James drew upon firsthand experience of ranch life to create images of exceptional authenticity and vitality. His illustrations and stories eschewed romanticized depictions of the frontier in favor of scenes grounded in lived experience, capturing the movement, temperament, and spirit of horses, cattle, and cowboys with an economy of line that became his hallmark. His celebrated book Smoky the Cowhorse received the 1927 Newbery Medal and established James as one of the foremost interpreters of the American West, while his illustrations for books, magazines, and personal manuscripts remain among the most sought-after works by collectors of Western art.

The present group offered in Scottsdale Art Auction’s summer sale represents an outstanding assemblage of original works from the renowned Abe Hays Collection, one of the most important private collections of Will James material ever assembled. Hays devoted decades to preserving the artist's legacy, acquiring original drawings, manuscripts, published illustrations, and archival material that documented James's artistic and literary career. Several works offered here were included in the landmark exhibition of the Abe Hays Collection at the Autry Museum of Western Heritage (October 3, 1997–January 4, 1998), further underscoring their historical and scholarly importance.

These works present an exceptional opportunity to acquire original examples by one of the defining artistic voices of the American West.

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