Artists throughout the ages have captivated viewers with narrative works, using the language of art to outline setting, characters, and plot. The nineteenth-century American West provided a dramatic backdrop for Frederic Remington and Charles Russell’s spirited figures.

Supplementary Lessons to Heroes of the Old West

THE PUNCHER

This lesson is designed for use with Heroes of the Old West or Home on the Range: An Educator’s Guide. The lesson encourages students to analyze and interpret The Puncher by Frederic Remington. Students will learn that an artist can portray a person as a heroic ideal.

PORTRAIT OF SID RICHARDSON

This lesson is designed for use with any Educator Guide. The lesson encourages students to view, analyze and interpret Portrait of Sid Richardson by Peter Hurd. Students will learn that a portrait can depict physical likeness and personality, as well as reference setting, time period and events.

By the late 19th century, much of the Native American way of life was swiftly vanishing or had already disappeared. These visual documents offer a glimpse into the social order, language, symbols, and dress of the Native American of the past.

Supplementary Lessons to The First Americans

MANY SNOWS HAVE FALLEN

This lesson is designed for use with The First Americans: An Educator’s Guide. The lesson encourages students to analyze and interpret Many Snows Have Fallen by Charles M. Russell. Students will learn that an artist can tell a story using words and illustrations.

THE POW-WOW

This lesson is designed for use with The First Americans: An Educator’s Guide. The lesson encourages students to examine The Pow-Wow by William Gilbert Gaul using critical thinking skills to discover how an artist creates a painting that is both documentary and expressive.

PORTRAIT OF SID RICHARDSON

This lesson is designed for use with any Educator Guide. The lesson encourages students to view, analyze and interpret Portrait of Sid Richardson by Peter Hurd. Students will learn that a portrait can depict physical likeness and personality, as well as reference setting, time period and events.

The West was a symbol of health, wealth and freedom, its expanse of territory offering endless possibilities. Look for stories of those who traveled the western pathways in works by Frederic Remington, Charles Russell, Oscar Berninghaus, and William Robinson Leigh.

Supplementary Lessons to Pathways

PORTRAIT OF SID RICHARDSON

This lesson is designed for use with any Educator Guide. The lesson encourages students to view, analyze and interpret Portrait of Sid Richardson by Peter Hurd. Students will learn that a portrait can depict physical likeness and personality, as well as reference setting, time period and events.

To Frederic Remington and Charles Russell, a cowboy’s honesty, individualism and honor symbolized all that was good about the American way of life. The romantic vision of an open range and the self-reliant cowboy summons us today in these paintings.

Supplementary Lessons to Home on the Range

THE PUNCHER

This lesson is designed for use with Heroes of the Old West or Home on the Range: An Educator’s Guide. The lesson encourages students to analyze and interpret The Puncher by Frederic Remington. Students will learn that an artist can portray a person as a heroic ideal.

THE APACHES

This lesson is designed for use with Home on the Range: An Educator’s Guide. The lesson encourages students to examine The Apaches! by Frederic Remington. Students will learn that artists, through the depiction of characters, action, and setting, can tell a story.

WHEN COWBOYS GET IN TROUBLE

This lesson is designed for use with Home on the Range: An Educator’s Guide. The lesson encourages students to view, analyze and interpret When Cowboys Get in Trouble by Charles M. Russell. Students will learn that artists, through arrangement of characters in a setting, can create a moment of action and drama.

PORTRAIT OF SID RICHARDSON

This lesson is designed for use with any Educator Guide. The lesson encourages students to view, analyze and interpret Portrait of Sid Richardson by Peter Hurd. Students will learn that a portrait can depict physical likeness and personality, as well as reference setting, time period and events.