Remington’s Indian Illustrations

This chapter examines the Indian illustrations of Frederic Remington, widely acclaimed today as the most famous Western illustrator and painter. Remington, who was too young to cover the major Indian wars, nevertheless created a number of significant Indian war images, including important but highly fictionalized Last Stand illustrations that shaped ideas about Indian fighting for several generations of Americans. Remington's Indian illustrations were clearly shaped by his belief in a racial hierarchy that placed whites atop the ladder of civilization. For Remington, Indians were a barbarous and inferior people doomed to disappear if they did not adopt civilized habits and beliefs. However, Remington was not absolute in his negative views of Indians; he praised Indian men for their fierceness and admired their bravery and masculine power. In short, Remington thought of Indian men as colorful, living symbols of a savage race and he was fascinated by their mysterious ways.