Heroism of a Pioneer Woman

Source: Tefler, Robert, "Heroism of a pioneer woman," Print, 1857, The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Picture Collection, The New York Public Library, https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e1-3195-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99.

Date: 1857

Text/Transcription:

The imagery in Heroism of a Pioneer Woman is part of a 19th-century print genre depicting pioneer life on the Great Plains. Some of this genre's more popular visual narratives include "attacks" on the "emigrants" by Native people, issues with settlement, capture, and escapes. Images of the pioneer women have a particular role in visualizing 19th-century westward expansion. The woman is both heroic and nurturing, resourceful and protected. Their adaptability to address diverse challenges expanded traditional gender roles. This print shows the daily acts of violence that represented the conquest of the western plains. In this case, the subject is the physical and emotional strength of the pioneer woman to defend her family and homestead against "intruders." The caption addresses the ambivalence of the remaining Native American (armed with a weapon) to enter the space, fighting to hold on to land and resources. Heroism of a Pioneer Woman is among the over two hundred illustrations in Henry Howe's The Great West: Containing Narratives of the Most Important and Interesting Events in Western History.