''American Progress'' is an 1872 painting by John Gast, a

Prussian Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an e ...

-born painter, printer, and

lithographer Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It was invented in 1796 by the German a ...

who lived and worked most of his life during 1870s

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, New York. ''American Progress'', an allegory of manifest destiny, 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 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 public programs, including le ...

in Los Angeles, California.

Description

''American Progress'' has become a seminal example of American Western art. The painting serves as an allegory for Manifest Destiny and American

westward expansion The United States of America was created on July 4, 1776, with the U.S. Declaration of Independence of thirteen British colonies in North America. In the Lee Resolution two days prior, the colonies resolved that they were free and independe ...

. The painting 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 personification of the United States, and on her head is what Crofutt calls "The Star of the Empire". Columbia moves from the light-skied east to the dark and treacherous West, leading settlers who follow her either on foot or by stagecoach, horseback, Conestoga wagon,

wagon train ''Wagon Train'' is an American Western series that aired 8 seasons: first on the NBC television network (1957–1962), and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and became number one in the Nielsen ratings ...

, or riding

steam train A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomot ...

s. Progress 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 p ...

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 or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

can be seen in the background, while farmers that have already settled in the Midwest are featured in the foreground. As Lady Columbia moves westward, indigenous people and a herd of buffalo flee from her and the settlers who follow.

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 Deer in art Horses in art Native Americans in art Trains in art Water in art Wolves in art