The Rough Riders | A Look at Remington

Despite his work in American Western art, Remington was born in the American East. From an early age, he was drawn to military subject matter. Remington would eventually accompany Teddy Roosevelt, at that point the Assistant Secretary of the Navy, to Cuba during the Spanish-American War. His painting, The Charge of the Rough Riders, is a depiction of the Battle of San Juan Hill that projected an image of Roosevelt in a successful attempt to bolster his reputation.

Theodore Roosevelt’s account of leading the Rough Riders to victory dmemonstrates a degree of embellishment when compared to the actual events that occurred. Remington’s painting shows what Roosevelt described, but a closer look reveals significant symbolism—namely the central, hatless figure of the Buffalo Soldier.