This W.H.D. Koerner (1878-1938) painting Hard Winter is also titled The Snow Eddied and Whirled About the Men. Night Had Descended by the Time They Returned to the Ranch House., and served as an illustration to a novel by Hal G. Evarts titled Short Grass. A story told to the Buffalo Bill Historical Center by W.H.D. Koerner's son, William, recounts the time he modeled for his father for this painting. He posed for the figure on horseback so his father could get the right modeling on the clothing...on a hot day in July. Bundled head to toe in coats and scarves, his father told him the story behind the scene of the painting. Even today, Mr. Koerner remembers how much cooler he felt imagining a blizzard. The original is housed in the Whitney Gallery of Western Art. Image measures 23 1/2" x 18 1/4".
