[sotd] Cowboy Photographer: Erwin E. Smith [February 3, 2011]

From: "Site of the Day" <amholm@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: sotd@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Thu, 03 Feb 2011 10:45:30 -0400
        Site of the Day for Thursday, February 3, 2011

        Cowboy Photographer: Erwin E. Smith

Today's site, from the Amon Carter Museum of Fort Worth, Texas, offers an 
exhibit
on the work of the largely unknown Texas native, Erwin E. Smith. Gentle 
Subscribers
will discover a fascinating and realistic glimpse through the photographer's 
eye of
that iconic figure in American history -- the cowboy.

"Erwin E. Smith (1886-1947) always wanted to be a cowboy and an artist. When he 
was
a boy growing up in Bonham, a town in Fannin County in North Texas, the era of 
the
great trail drives was over, and he feared that the old ways of the cowboy were
disappearing. However, the legend and myth of the cowboy was just beginning.
Popular literature, art by Frederic Remington and Charles M. Russell, and the
fledgling film industry promoted a romantic, yet often inaccurate, image of the
cowboy. For his part, Smith resolved to honor the life of the cowboy by 
presenting
as true a portrayal as possible." - from the website

Composed of hundreds of period photographs, this well-conceived exhibit covers a
number of categories, from the cowhand's clothing and equipment, to the various
duties which were part of his day's work. The photos of boss, cook, and wrangler
are grouped with the tasks of roping, "busting broncs" and riding the range, 
while
under the Seasonal Work heading are notes and photos covering the spring and 
fall
roundups, as well as various aspects of the summer trail drive -- the open-range
branding, the chuck wagon and the dangers on the trail, among others. Additional
sections feature pictures of wild west shows, rodeos and the evocative images of
the cowboy at ease -- gazing at the landscape and gathered round the campfire.

Canter to the exhibition for a slice of Southwest American history at:

http://www.cartermuseum.org/collections/smith/collection.php

  A.M. Holm
<amholm@xxxxxxxxxxx>
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[sotd] Cowboy Photographer: Erwin E. Smith [February 3, 2011]

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