Frank Smith, Watering His Horse, Cross-B Ranch, Crosby County, Texas, c. 1909

Erwin E. Smith

Dallas Museum of Art

When Erwin Smith captured this image, the golden era of cowboys and cattle drives was drawing to a close. Like other artists such as Frederic Remington, Smith endeavored to preserve, in visual form, a way of life that was deeply associated with the concept of America at home and abroad. Smith, who was born in Texas and worked as a cowhand to hone his understanding of the cowboy way of life, conveys the romance of the subject matter through this nostalgic view of a moment of reverie shared between horse and rider toward the end of the working day.

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