Works of Art

A writer for the April 27, 1889 issue of Harper’s Weekly reported that Remington had recently traveled to Mexico on assignment to paint typical soldiers of various regiments of the Mexican army. “He was thus enabled, through the courtesy of the Mexican Minister of War, to make a most complete series of military sketches,” the writer noted. Remington spent more than six weeks in Mexico gathering material for a series of stories, including one he hoped to write himself. One of his subjects of interest was Mexican military bands, and this painting was completed shortly after his trip. The painting was reproduced in an article by Thomas A. Janvier titled “The Mexican Army,” which appeared in Harper’s Monthly Magazine in November of that same year. About a year after that Remington again witnessed marching units like this one when he accompanied U. S. Army General Nelson A. Miles to a special military review of Mexican troops. Remington reported on this trip in the pages of Harper’s Weekly for July 4, 1891, noting that the troops “march loosely, with a lack of precision, but they move much faster than our soldiers.”