"The American West in Bronze, 1850–1925"

Americans were far less sensitive in the 19th century than they are today, so they scarcely let the grass grow beneath their feet before they began to celebrate the taming of the West. And of course, works of art in all mediums were created as part of that effort (until long after the frontier was closed, in fact). The Met rounds up some examples in sculpture, many of cowboys and Native Americans, and the results are both charming and cringe-inducing, depending on your point of view.