Kickover of Morning Coffee Pot 1896

Charles M. Russell, an artist known for his portrayals of the American West, created this watercolor painting titled "Kickover of Morning Coffee Pot." During Russell's lifetime, the myth of the cowboy loomed large in the American imagination. But his work, deeply embedded in the historical context of westward expansion, also reflects the displacement and marginalization of Indigenous peoples and the profound ecological changes brought about by ranching and settlement. "Kickover of Morning Coffee Pot" evokes a rugged, masculine world, but look closer. The scene captures a moment of disruption and chaos. A bucking bronco has upended the morning routine, scattering cowboys and spilling the precious coffee. The figures are engaged in everyday tasks like cooking and wrangling, yet the scene is tinged with potential violence and the unpredictable nature of life on the frontier. Russell himself lived among cowboys, and he celebrated their grit and independence. But his art also reveals a West that was rapidly changing, a place where tradition and progress often collided, a narrative that still shapes our understanding of the American West today.