The Last Drop from his Stetson

Lon Megargee, often characterized as “Arizona’s original cowboy artist”, was born in Philadelphia in 1883 but upon the death of his father in 1896 he moved to Arizona at age 13. A young cowboy, he stayed in that profession until 1909 when he reinvented himself and started painting. He died in Cottonwood near Sedona in 1960 at the age of 77.

Lon Megargee illustrated throughout his life in a variety of periodicals, catalogs, and even postcards. He designed western images for pulp magazines, and other printed journals, romancing images of the West.

Last Drop from His Stetson shows a cowboy holding a Stetson hat full of water from which his horse is thirstily drinking. The image was used to advertise Stetsons from 1924 onwards. It is still copied inside Stetson hats today so the original painting by Lon Megargee has been associated with Stetson brand for nearly a century. This painting is an insight into Megargee’s humor from first hand experience as a wrangler. Besides this artwork Megargee also painted landscapes showing the majesty of Arizona's nature, like in the composition entitled San Francisco Peaks. This cowboy offering his horse water is now an iconic advertisement but it is first and foremost a moving and picturesque image that symbolizes the Cowboy way of life as well as America independence, integrity, and strength.

- Tony Goupil

P.S. We don't have an article about cowboys in DailyArt Magazine but we do have one about cows in paintings and it's awesome :) Check it here.