"Yes, I knew Charlie Russell—though not too well. I have always regretted that I did not know him better,” Maynard Dixon told an aspiring biographer...
“Old Timer” and “Friend Dixon”
read more
Art of the True West
Framing the West
In Mackay, Idaho, a rugged cowboy and his trusty steed have braved the winter weather and harsh terrain to save a tender calf, with only a beacon of...
Best Photography of the True West
Ansel Adams started with with a Kodak No. 1 Box Brownie. Sometimes I do get to places just when God’s ready to have somebody click the shutter,”...
Gloomy Blumy’s Beautiful World
When the horse-drawn wagon slipped into a bad rut outside of Taos, New Mexico, in 1898, the two sketching buddies flipped a coin to see who would...
The Taming of the Artist
The rise of Charlie Russell, and the wife who made him a star. This triumphant moment had all begun with a marital spat, Nancy liked to say. Charlie...
Sioux on the Beach
William "Buffalo Bill" Cody had been planning his next feat as a showman when, in 1882, he was asked to stage an “Old Glory Blowout” in North...
Kendrick’s Northern Cowboys
Growing up in the Texas Panhandle, I often visited a cousin who worked at the 6666 Ranch, one of the old historic outfits in Texas, so I am quite...
Camera in the Cow Camps
At the turn of the 20th century, a young cowboy obsessed over how he could best preserve true cowboy culture. Erwin Evans Smith, born in 1886,...
Back to the Future
Texas History Movies—the name is not entirely accurate. Texas history? Yes. Movies? Nope, they’re comic books. These comics were once a major...
True Comics
Will Rogers, born in the Indian Territory in 1879, was a true American icon. As stage star, humorist, national newspaper columnist and radio and...
Off the Reservation, the Range, the Ranch and the Regular
The first place to look for Western art has always been St. Petersburg, Florida. Falling to the ground with so many palm fronds and coconuts are the...
Fleshing Out Portraits
History is not always confined to books. Paintings and sculptures often depict historical figures or events with great accuracy. Depending on the...