In 1888, The Century Magazine, where earlier Frederic Remington had illustrated a article written by Theodore Roosevelt, commissioned Remington to write and illustrate stories of the Indian tribes in the southwest. Remington was pleased to get this assignment, however, he wrote to his friend Lt. Powhatan Clarke that the Indian tribes were secondary in his mind to the "Black Buffaloes" that Clarke commanded, and that he so wanted to be the first to do a story about them.

So brave and courageous were the US black calvarymen, that their legendary Indian foes called them Buffallo Soldiers. Their commanding officer said the name was given because the Indians respected a brave and powerful adversary, which relates directly to their much revered buffallo. Others say it was due to the similarity of the black soldier's hair to the hair surrounding the buffallo's head.

Remington's concept for the painting, The Alert, was made during this magazine assignment in the summer of 1888, at the San Carlos Army Post in Arizona. Remington's illustrated articel for The Century Magazine titled, A Scout With The Buffalo-Soldiers was published in April of 1889.

If Paying with a Money Order or Cashier's Check, Click Here instead of using the add to cart button above.

Back