“Manifest Destiny”

"Manifest Destiny," painting by John Gast, 1872."Destino Manifiesto," pintura por John Gast, 1872.

“Manifest Destiny,” painting by John Gast, 1872.

A woman with long blond hair, dressed in classical style in a flowing white gown that is off one shoulder, floats westward through the air. She is the figure of “Progress”, and on her forehead is a gold star, the “Star of Empire.” In her proper right arm she holds a book, and telegraph wire is looped around her elbow. In her proper left hand she is trailing the telegraph wire westward. On the ground below her, three trains travel westward, as do a stagecoach, a covered wagon, farmers with cattle, and men on horseback, including a pony express rider. In the left side of the painting, Indians and buffalo are retreating westward from Progress, leaving behind buffalo skeletons.

Courtesy of the U.S. Library of Congress.