William Ranney, (American, 1813-1857) Squire Boone Crossing the Mountains with Stores for His Brother Daniel, Encamped in the Wilds of Kentucky, 1852 Oil on canvas Museum of Fine Arts, Springfield, Massachusetts. Gift from the Estate of Amelia Peabody

This exhibition features 60 paintings of American life by early 19th-century painter William Ranney (1813-1857). Through his depictions of work, play, and historical events, Ranney helped develop the concept of an American character. One of this country’s greatest narrative painters, Ranney depicted portraits, hunting and sporting scenes, lighthearted genre scenes such as The Sleigh Ride and Boys Crabbing, and historical subjects such as Washington allying the Americans at Battle of Princeton and Veterans of 1776 Returning from the War. Ranney also told the story of western expansion in such paintings as Daniel Boone’s First View of Kentucky and scenes of the West, like Trapper Crossing the Mountains, Advice on the Prairie, and The Pioneer. Created at a time when our country was first developing and establishing its identity, Ranney’s vibrant depictions serve as pictorial stories that chronicle this significant period in American history. The exhibition also includes firearms from the period and photomurals related to subjects in the paintings.

Forging an American Identity: The Art of William Ranney was organized by the Buffalo Bill Historical Center and is supported in part by generous contributions from The Henry Luce Foundation, 1957 Charity Foundation, Mrs. J. Maxwell (Betty) Moran, Mr. Ranney Moran, The National Endowment for the Arts, which believes that a great nation deserves great art and the Wyoming Arts Council, through funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Wyoming State Legislature.

Local support was provided by The Kentuckiana Chapter of Safari Club International, chapter members Neville Blakemore and Gray Henry-Blakemore, Anna and Allan Weiss, Ivan and Ann Schell and others.