Head of a Cow or Ox
Medium
animals
Classification
animals
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Samuel Colman
Accession Number
1939-85-37
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
Samuel Colman (183–1920), an artist active during a transformative era in U.S. art, created *Head of a Cow or* in 1871. This intimate study, now part of the Smithsonian American Museum's collection through the generous gift of Mrs. Samuelman, captures the rugged character of a farm animal central to 19th-century American rural life. Produced shortly after the Civil War, the work reflects a period when artists increasingly turned to everyday subjects like livestock, blending realism with a sense of quiet dignity amid the nation's industrial shift. Classified within the museum's animal-themed h...