Bill Pickett

Object Details

Artist

Ritchey Lithographic Corporation, active 1920 - 1929?

Sitter

Bill Pickett, 5 Dec 1870 - 2 Apr 1932

Exhibition Label

Born Travis County (or Jenks Branch), Texas

While working as a cowhand in Texas, Bill Pickett developed the dramatic “bull-dogging” technique that brought him international fame. Leaping from a galloping horse, Pickett would grab a steer by the horns and twist back its head, taking hold of its upper lip with his teeth until the bull fell to the ground. He performed the stunt in the 101 Ranch’s Wild West Shows, traveling from coast to coast and as far north as Canada. During a performance in Mexico, he brought down a bull with his bare hands. Pickett performed his “death-defying feats” before the king and queen of England in 1914 and in the film The Bull-Dogger, advertised by this poster, in 1923. Named to the National Cowboy Hall of Fame in 1971, he was honored in 1993 with a stamp in the U.S. Postal Service’s “Legends of the West” series.

Nacido en Travis County (o Jenks Branch), Texas

Mientras trabajaba de vaquero en Texas, Bill Pickett desarrolló la impactante técnica de derribo de novillos que lo hizo famoso en el mundo. Cabalgando a todo galope, Pickett saltaba del caballo y agarraba al novillo por los cuernos, le echaba la cabeza hacia atrás y le mordía el labio superior hasta que el animal caía al suelo. Pickett realizaba esta proeza como parte del espectáculo sobre temas del lejano oeste “101 Ranch’s Wild West Shows”, con el cual viajó de costa a costa y hasta Canadá. Durante una actuación en México, derribó un novillo con sus propias manos. Pickett tuvo ocasión de realizar sus “actos mortales” ante los reyes de Inglaterra en 1914 y en la película The Bull-Dogger, a la cual pertenece este cartel publicitario de 1923. En 1971 fue incorporado al salón de la fama de los vaqueros (National Cowboy Hall of Fame) y en 1993 el Servicio Postal Estadounidense emitió en su honor un sello de la serie “Leyendas del Oeste”.

Credit Line

National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution

1923

Object number

NPG.84.113

Restrictions & Rights

CC0

Type

Print

Medium

Chromolithographic poster

Dimensions

Sheet: 104.2 × 69cm (41 × 27 3/16")

Mount: 110.6 × 74.6cm (43 9/16 × 29 3/8")

See more items in

National Portrait Gallery Collection

Alternate Title

The Bull Dogger

National Portrait Gallery

Topic

Costume\Headgear\Hat

Costume\Dress Accessory\Scarf

Poster

Poster\Movie

Bill Pickett: Male

Bill Pickett: Natural Resource Occupations\Agriculturist\Farmer

Bill Pickett: Sports and Recreation\Athlete\Equestrian\Bronc rider

Bill Pickett: Natural Resource Occupations\Agriculturist\Cowboy\Wrangler

Portrait

Record ID

npg_NPG.84.113

Metadata Usage (text)

CC0

GUID (Link to Original Record)

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm4bbcffadc-60d7-4864-8c18-4be4acf044d6