Drifting before the storm
1904
Frederic Remington, the artist who basically invented the visual language of the American West, captures a moment of pure grit here. Instead of a glorious sunset shootout, we see cowboys bundled in heavy furs against a biting blizzard, struggling to herd cattle through deep snow. The title 'drifting' refers to livestock moving aimlessly with the wind during a storm—a terrifying and often deadly situation for ranchers. This illustration feels freezing just looking at it, reminding us that the Old West was often more about surviving the elements than fighting bandits.
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