"It is here the romance of my life began": The Construction of Frontier Mascuinity in LateNineteenth and EarlyTwentieth Century America

"It is here the romance of my life began," wrote Theodore Roosevelt in reference to the American West (qtd. in Jenkinson 5)[1]. The West certainly has held a special place in American history, especially for men. As the nineteenth century transitioned into the twentieth century, a variety of historical developments, including industrialization, immigration, and the close of the frontier, all contributed to a sense of anxiety felt by many white, American men about their manhood. As such, this period, specifically 1880 to 1910, serves as a useful place to investigate frontier masculinity. I argue that a series of lionized cultural products—including a promotional poster for Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, a bronze sculpture by Frederic Remington, and a political speech given by Theodore Roosevelt—all conveyed a popular portrayal of the ideal, white American frontiersman [2]. This ideal representation was defined by a man's horsemanship, his shooting ability, and his toilsome, yet fulfilling labor. However, other expressions of masculinity existed on the frontier. From Theodore Roosevelt's journal recordings, Henry Flipper's accomplishments as a black frontiersman, and Owen Wister's homoerotic references in The Virginian, I construct a counter­archive that challenges the dominant portrayal of the ideal frontiersman [3].