Charles Hargens

Charles Hargens Jr. was born in 1893 and is one of America's foremost illustrators. He often used photographs that he would combine to create his works of art. Much of his work has been designed to capture the scenes and feeling, the very essence, of the Old West. His talent is far from limited to the West, as this exhibition shows. He illustrated animals of all sorts, beautiful women, knights on horseback, and everything imaginable. Hargens produced many magazine covers, story illustrations, advertising pictures, and book jackets in unbelievable quantity. He was an illustrator for the Stetson Hat Company, the Saturday Evening Post and Colliers. His sheer production was overwhelming. He produced thousands of pieces of fine art and worked constantly throughout about 80 of his 103 years, which is twice the work span that most people achieve. Charles Hargens died in 1997 and willed his studio furnishings, more than 40 pieces of art and illustration along with the copyrights, and file cabinets filled with clippings and his photography to Friends of the Middle Border.