''American Progress'' is an 1872 painting by John Gast, a Prussian-born painter, printer, and lithographer who lived and worked most of his life during 1870s in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, New York. ''American Progress'', an allegory of

manifest destiny Manifest destiny was the belief in the 19th century in the United States, 19th-century United States that American pioneer, American settlers were destined to expand westward across North America, and that this belief was both obvious ("''m ...

, was widely disseminated in chromolithographic prints. It is now held by the

Autry Museum of the American West The Autry Museum of the American West (Autry National Center) is a museum in Los Angeles, California, dedicated to exploring an inclusive history of the American West. Founded in 1988, the museum presents a wide range of exhibitions and pub ...

in Los Angeles, California.

Description

The painting ''American Progress'', which is considered to be historically significant, is considered an important example of American Western Art, since it represents the

Manifest Destiny Manifest destiny was the belief in the 19th century in the United States, 19th-century United States that American pioneer, American settlers were destined to expand westward across North America, and that this belief was both obvious ("''m ...

and American westward expansion. This painting, which is 11.50 by 15.75 inches, (29.2 cm × 40.0 cm) was commissioned in 1872 by George Crofutt, a publisher of American Western travel guides and has since been frequently reproduced. The woman in the center is Columbia, the female personification of the United States. On her head is what Crofutt calls "The Star of the Empire." In the painting, Columbia represents progress, which moves from the light-skied East to the dark West, leading settlers who follow her either on foot or by

stagecoach A stagecoach (also: stage coach, stage, road coach, ) is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by ...

, horseback,

Conestoga wagon The Conestoga wagon, also simply known as the Conestoga, is a horse-drawn freight wagon that was used exclusively in North America, primarily the United States, in the 18th and 19th centuries. Such wagons were probably first used by Pennsylvania ...

wagon train ''Wagon Train'' is an American Western television series that aired for eight seasons, first on the NBC television network (1957–1962) and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and reached the top of the ...

, or riding steam trains. Columbia is the figure of progress as she lays a

telegraph Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas ...

wire with one hand and carries a school book in the other. On the right side of the painting, in the East,

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

can be seen in the background, while farmers who have settled in the Midwest are featured in the foreground. As Columbia moves westward,

indigenous people There is no generally accepted definition of Indigenous peoples, although in the 21st century the focus has been on self-identification, cultural difference from other groups in a state, a special relationship with their traditional territ ...

and a herd of buffalo (bison) flee from her and the settlers who follow. In the bottom right of the painting, farmers are diligently tilling a field, which shows the Midwest as a developed and colonized region. This symbolizes the migration of settlers from the East to the West. This movement was facilitated by treaties with native tribes, often resulting in the forced relocation of these tribes to smaller reservations with little compensation for their land.

Significance

John Gast uses this painting to convey the idea of manifest destiny that is widely known in America at this time. Much of the west was still occupied by Native Americans in

1872 Events January * January 12 – Yohannes IV is crowned Emperor of Ethiopia in Axum, the first ruler crowned in that city in over 500 years. *January 20 – The Cavite mutiny was an uprising of Filipino military personnel of Fort S ...

, but Gast portrays the idea that America was destined to expand to this area as part of

References

External links

Essay on ''Spirit of the frontier'' by historian Martha A. Sandweiss of Amherst College
Includes high resolution version of the painting. *The Library of Congress:
Works by Gast from the Department of Drawings and PrintsEntry in Goulding's New York City directory (1877)
listing him as ''GAST JOHN, artist & lithographer, 39 Park pl. h B'klyn''
Short biography, list of references, and examples of work on askart.com

Works by Gast in the general Catalog

''New approved method of zinc etching or photo-zinc-engraving'' (1886), by Gast
by Samantha Rothenberg {{Authority control 1872 paintings Paintings in Los Angeles Bears in art Bison in art Books in art Cattle in art Paintings of deer Horses in art Native Americans in art Trains in art Rivers in art Wolves in art Bridges in art Oil on canvas paintings