The Texas Longhorn, an American breed of cattle, is not only emblematic of Texas but is easily the most visually spectacular cow in the world. This fact has not escaped the notice of world-renowned photographer David Yarrow. He's returned to Texas several times, featuring these iconic beasts in many of his curated scenes. Several of these images are among his best sellers, sought after by collectors in Texas and worldwide. In case you've missed seeing them, here's his most recent image, a few favorites, and narratives in David Yarrow's own words. Enjoy!

"The University of Texas (UT) is integral to the lore and image of Texas and is beloved by its alumni. If Texas was a country, it would now rank 8th in world GDP and if UT was just an athletics institution, it would also rank high in the global performance charts. This is not a normal educational establishment.

The flagship of the athletics department is, of course, the Texas Longhorns, whose fan base stretches way beyond the alumni. To be in Austin for a Saturday game day is a bucket list sporting occasion, attracting crowds of over 80,000 people, even if the result is a foregone conclusion long before the tailgating parties start.

My plan was to take a tableau photograph celebrating this venerable institution, but there was much to plan to ensure my effort as an outsider would not end up being generic or hackneyed. I needed to push a few boundaries in my creative processing.

Since 1916 a longhorn steer named Bevo has represented The University of Texas as its famed mascot. There have, of course, been a few Bevos over the years, with their orange and white colouring emblematic of the institution. There is no more revered live mascot in global sport and I recognised that without Bevo, any picture celebrating the Longhorns would be very lame.

I want to thank Ben Barnes - the former Lieutenant Governor of Texas - for helping facilitate this shoot. My idea was to photograph Bevo in front of the UT tower which is the storied epicentre of the campus and Ben, who bizarrely knew my late father in the UK, made the necessary calls.

The grass lawn between 21st Street and the Tower suited the steer, but my leaning was always to add both dynamism and symbolism by using the same smoke effects that accompany Bevo when he triumphantly enters the Darrell K Royal Memorial Stadium on game day. Smoke adds drama and focuses the eye. No wonder it is so often used in the creative entertainment industry.

I want to thank Ricky Brown, Ricky Breenes, and Craig Westemeier of The University of Texas Athletics, William Reid, and, of course, Governor Barnes. It was a privilege and an honour to be allowed this level of access.

This was agreed in partnership with UT, who will benefit from any sales of the commemorative photograph." — David Yarrow

"This is Dallas - the Big D. Everything is big in Texas and therefore creative ideas should be big too. We wondered whether anyone had tried to photograph the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders and working cowboys with their longhorn cattle in the same shot. Further still, we wondered whether it had ever been done in downtown Dallas in the middle of the day?

Once I have an idea in my head, I am like a dog with a bone - I will not let it go until all possible angles have been exhausted to make it happen. Dallas did happen and there are so many people I would like to thank.

I start with Shawn Todd - who helped close down the East Quarter of Dallas that he is redeveloping. Then I must thank The Dallas Cowboys franchise, in particular, Kelli Finglass, the Director of the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders, and of course all the girls themselves.

Also, I must thank many of my friends in Dallas who came along and lent support. Bill Hill - the former District Attorney of Dallas; Troy Aikman, the iconic quarterback for the Cowboys; Steve Stodghill and his wife Anne who have done so much for me in the city and of course JD and Lea Miller of Samuel Lynne Gallery who represent me in the city. This was a real team effort.

But thank you most of all to the Dallas Police Department for making it all possible." — David Yarrow

"Wagons evoke childhood memories of watching John Wayne Westerns on the BBC on cold winter evenings. No mode of transport is more emblematic of the great push West and the attendant dangers. For a storyteller of life on the final frontier, props don’t get any better, but finding an authentic one and taking it to the pre-researched location in the wilderness of West Texas is a challenge and an expense.

Anyhow, those issues overcome, the biggest problem with photographing a wagon on the move is that it does not suit my style of photography which would tend to be to shoot towards the oncoming wagon. This is simply because the horses’ heads will be at least 10 feet in front of the people driving the wagon. One or other would be in focus, but never both. To have the foreground subject out of focus is a tension point in any photograph and to have the human characters out of focus would seem fairly suboptimal. I wrestled with this the night before the shot and finally, it dawned on me what to do.

I think it works and I have always wanted to have a picture with this title. I am sure they made it to Amarillo by morning.

The whole image smells of old Texas and that was the goal." — David Yarrow

"Longhorn cattle are not only emblematic of Texas, they are also the most visually spectacular cows in the world. On location on the abandoned film set of “There Will Be Blood”, we tried different combinations with a few prize-winning cows. But the reality was very clear - they are not camera-friendly. In fact, they are considerably less compliant than the elephants of Amboseli, Kenya.

To achieve this composition was a real test of the team’s patience and all my thanks go to Ryan Thompson and his fellow cowboys, who worked with great skill to engineer this frame. I was doubly appreciative, as lying on the old rail sleepers is not the most comfortable way to spend a morning. It was critical that the bull was facing me and there were no tension points with his fantastic horns.

Rail roads were so integral to the great push West as indeed were wagons and it struck me that they could complement each other outside a station. There is no real need for people to be in the image - there is enough there and the composition works. This is a personal favourite of mine." — David Yarrow

Come meet David Yarrow, see his new images, hear his artist talk, add to or start your collection, and get your books signed at Sorrel Sky New York on October 13, from 2-5 pm. 

Be sure to reach out to our team of art advisors with any questions about the works by David Yarrow seen in this blog or on our website. We'd love to see you at the gallery where you can enjoy them in person.