Dead Men Don't Walk
Artist
John Albert Drew
(American, 1883 - 1953)
CultureAmerican
Dateca. 1934
MediumOil on canvas
DimensionsOverall: 30 x 22 in. (76.2 x 55.9 cm)
InscribedSigned lower left
Credit LineThe Frank K. Tarrant Collection, gift of the Tarrant family
Object number99.28.2
Not on view
DescriptionTwo cowboys on horses make a get-away. One cowboy has his hands cuffed while the other looks back and shoots. The background is bright yellow. Magazine cover illustration for W.H.B. Kent, "Dead Men Don't Walk," _Cowboy Stories_ (New York: Street and Smith Publications, 1934) vol. 25, no. 4.Label TextJohn Albert Drew American, 1883-1953 Dead Men Don't Walk, ca. 1934 Oil on canvas Wild West adventure stories were a staple for publishers of penny magazines and dime novels in the early twentieth century, supporting the careers of John Drew and dozens of other illustrators. This painting illustrates a short story entitled "Dead Men Don't Walk" by W. H. B. Kent, one of 12 tales published in the April 1934 issue of the monthly magazine "Cowboy Stories." Backgrounds of yellow and other bright colors helped these cheap periodicals catch attention on newsracks, and the artist has deliberately left some areas of the scene open for easy addition of titles and text. Cbrysler Museum of Art, The Frank K. Tarrant Collection, Gift of the Tarrant family 99.28.2Published ReferencesW.H.B. Kent, "Dead Men Don't Walk," _Cowboy Stories_ (New York: Street and Smith Publications, 1934) vol. 25, no. 4.
