The Savage

Frederic Remington

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Remington created "The Savage," copyrighted in 1908, as a pendant to his only other bust, "The Sergeant" (39.65.52a, b) of four years earlier. Both, miniaturized in scale, represent early- twentieth-century stereotypes rather than specific individuals. With exaggerated phenotypically Native features, a defiant expression, and bared teeth, "The Savage" represents a common conception of the Indigenous American in Remington’s art. While some of his Western types remain iconic, others lay bare problematic and discomforting cultural and racial biases, as further evidenced by his choice of title. Only one cast of "The Savage," which Remington wrote of seeing in the window of Tiffany & Company in 1908, appears to have been produced during his lifetime. The Metropolitan's example, cast number 10, was authorized by Remington's widow, Eva, and was recorded in the Roman Bronze Works ledger in May 1916.

The American Wing

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The American Wing's ever-evolving collection comprises some 20,000 works of art by African American, Euro American, Latin American, and Native American men and women. Ranging from the colonial to early-modern periods, the holdings include painting, sculpture, works on paper, and decorative arts—including furniture, textiles, ceramics, glass, silver, metalwork, jewelry, basketry, quill and bead embroidery—as well as historical interiors and architectural fragments.

Metropolitan Museum of Art