Axial Commons Image Treasury
Painting of a dark rider on a rearing black horse chasing a fleeing figure on a white horse along a forest road at dusk, under a crescent moon.

The Headless Horseman Pursuing Ichabod Crane

A dark forest road at dusk, where a black-cloaked rider on a rearing black horse lunges toward a terrified rider on a pale horse fleeing beneath twisted, bare trees. A crescent moon glows over distant hills, and the painting's brushwork is loose and atmospheric throughout.

Artist
John Quidor
Date
1858
Medium
oil on canvas
Source
Smithsonian (Smithsonian American Art Museum)
Size
2999 × 2368 px
Download full size
Public domain · Smithsonian (Smithsonian American Art Museum) releases this image under CC0 (latest date 1858).
Rights checked 2026-11-05 · tier A · as stated by the source: CC0 (Smithsonian Open Access)

Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): Smithsonian Institution, Smithsonian American Art Museum

Español: El Jinete sin Cabeza persiguiendo a Ichabod Crane

Un camino oscuro en el bosque al atardecer, donde un jinete envuelto en una capa negra sobre un caballo negro encabritado se lanza contra un jinete aterrado que huye en un caballo blanco entre árboles retorcidos y sin hojas. Una luna creciente brilla sobre colinas lejanas, y la pincelada es suelta y atmosférica.

Português: O Cavaleiro sem Cabeça perseguindo Ichabod Crane

Uma estrada escura numa floresta ao entardecer, onde um cavaleiro envolto em capa preta, sobre um cavalo negro empinado, avança contra um cavaleiro apavorado que foge num cavalo branco entre árvores retorcidas e sem folhas. Uma lua crescente brilha sobre colinas distantes, e a pincelada é solta e atmosférica.

More from Night and Dreams

Japanese colour woodcut diptych of many crowded demons and monsters in bright reds, yellows and blues, with a robed figure with a staff at left.One hundred demons stirring by night. Colour woodcut by Gyokuen, 1860s.Oil painting of two young Navajo girls beside a stone wall, with a hogan, grazing sheep and sagebrush in a sunny desert landscape.Navajo SistersPainting of figures harvesting golden corn in a field, with pale mountains and blue sky behind them.Corn Harvest at Santo DomingoMoonlit painting of dark silhouetted trees above a glowing river with rapids, with conical tents and a lone figure on the right bank.Moonlight, Indian EncampmentWatercolor: a red winged dragon with a coiled tail looms above a kneeling woman in gold robes, arms outstretched, against a glowing yellow light and dark stormy sky.The Great Red Dragon and the Woman Clothed with the SunPainting of a couple walking on a pale path among green shrubs, under a swirling yellow sky with a crescent moon and dark blue hills.Landscape with Couple Walking and Crescent Moon