Frederic Remington

Frederic Remington

Frederic Remington (Frederic Sackrider Remington) was an American artist who lived from 1861 to 1909. He is most remembered for his art depicting the American Old West, featuring cowboys, Native Americans, and soldiers. He worked in a variety of mediums and was a painter, sculptor, writer, and illustrator.

Frederic Remington had a happy childhood and began drawing cowboys and soldiers when he was quite young. His father was a Civil War veteran and hoped that Frederic would follow suit with a military career. However, Remington decided instead to go to art school at Yale, which his family supported.  Unfortunately, he had to drop out to attend his dying father. Instead of returning to finish his training, in 1881, Remington decided to adventure and move out west to Montana.  There, he sketched scenes he had only imagined as a child, with open prairies, buffalo, Native Americans, and the U.S. Cavalry.

Remington’s early career got to a rough start. His wife left him after realizing his chosen profession. His early works were more cartoonish as he was struggling to develop a style and ended up bartering many of his early pieces for life essentials. Remington gradually began selling his work. After his first full page cover on an issue of Harper’s Weekly, his wife returned, and he was able to start supporting them with his art. Remington did commission pieces for Harper’s Weekly, covering the war against Geronimo, as well as Outing magazine. In 1887, he was commissioned to create 83 pieces for a book for Theodore Roosevelt.

In 1890 Frederic Remington had his first solo show and finally gained public notoriety. To add to his character reputation, he spoke with an accent and carried himself as a cowboy. In 1895, he started sculpting and actually sold casts of his first sculpture at Tiffany’s. Though Remington suffered from obesity his whole life, after his success, he put on a lot of weight.  he died after an emergency appendectomy surgery at 48 years old.

Remington is related to several famous people including Native American portrait artist, George Catlin, cowboy sculptor, Earl Bascom, and founder of the Remington Arms Company, Eliphalet Remington.

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