Frank Tenney Johnson (1874-1939),
Fred Tunnel and Horse in the Tetons, 1931, oil on canvas, 39 3/4 x 50 1/4 inches. Brigham Young University Museum of Art, gift of Steven L. Rose, 1965.
This week we celebrate the birthday of artist Frank Tenney Johnson. A gifted illustrator and painter of the American West, Johnson masterfully portrayed the dramatic western landscape and offered a romanticized view into the life of the cowboy. Johnson’s painting of Fred Tunnel presents the young cowboy in an almost heroic pose. Dressed in his best with ornate cuffs and boots, he stands with his horse looking over the rugged landscape. Though Tunnel’s identity is unknown, he likely worked on the ranches near Cody, Wyoming. Johnson had a studio in that area and spent much of the 1930s working there.