The Winchester Bear Dogs.
An original 1907 Winchester advertising print by Henry Rankin Poore.
This picture is called Bear Dogs. It was painted by Henry Rankin Poore, a Philadelphia artist famous for painting hunting dogs, and the four hounds are said to have belonged to the Winchester family, the gun makers.
In 1907, Winchester turned the painting into a large color print and gave copies to hardware stores and sporting goods shops to hang on the wall. It was advertising, meant to catch a hunter's eye while he bought his shells.
Most of these prints were thrown away when they faded or the store closed. The ones that survived have become some of the best-known pieces of American hunting art, collected by both gun enthusiasts and art lovers.
This one is a full-size original in a period oak frame, over a hundred years old, with the artist's signature still visible in the lower left corner.
It’s only fitting to have Bear Dogs and Bulldogs in the same Antique shop, and this Winchester Advertising piece is a steal for only $3600.00