Paramount Pictures; 1923; dir: James Cruze; based on the novel by Emerson Hough; cast: J. Warren Kerrigan, Lois Wilson, Ernest Torrence, Alan Hale Sr., Tully Marhsall, Ethel Wales, Charles Ogle. Vintage original 27 x 41 in. (68.6 x 104.1 cm.) U.S. one-sheet poster, Style B, stone lithograph, linen-backed, very fine condition.

The beautiful stone lithograph artwork depicts the film's lead character, Will Banion (J. Warren Kerrigan) astride a dark horse as he greets a native American Indian in a sign of peace and friendship. A group of Indians on horseback as well as a wagon train are seen in the background. The artist's design of having the artwork extend into the outer white borders creates a wonderful sense of depth and dimension. Four different one-sheet posters were created to advertise this historic epic American western film. The Style B one-sheet offered here is the only one to show the film's star, J. Warren Kerrigan, as well as the native American Indians. This one-sheet has been professionally linen-backed AND WAS NEVER FOLDED, which makes this particular example even more rare and desirable. It is in very fine condition with expert restoration to correct a small section of paper loss at the right outer white border which extends slightly into the background area to the right of the horse's ear. There is also a section of airbrushing at the top right corner to correct a 1.5 in. tear and there is a repair to a 2 in. tear on the right outer white border near the horse's hoofs. The colors are as fresh and vibrant as when this poster was printed in 1923 and you will probably never find another example of this Style B one-sheet in such outstanding condition.

The Covered Wagon was the first truly epic scale Western. Before it arrived in 1923, the series Western reigned supreme, with stars such as Broncho Billy and Tom Mix attracting huge followings. However, when The Covered Wagon arrived, Hollywood studios began to consider the Western more seriously. The Covered Wagon did indeed contain many of the elements of the series Western--such as Indian attacks and shoot outs--but it also took place on a large scale, with a huge assembly of over 400 covered wagons fording rivers and braving snow storms. This celebration of America's pioneering spirit became hugely successful at the box-office and several epic Westerns followed in its wake, including John Ford's arguably superior The Iron Horse. This film has garnered its rightful place of prominence in the history of American silent film and represents a true landmark in the Western genre.

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