Untitled (posssibly The Cigarette)

Left untitled—and with a signature that may have been added by another hand—this unfinished painting has been described as Remington’s last ever since Eva Remington bequeathed it as such to what is now the Frederic Remington Art Museum. In this depiction of a quiet smoke outside a Western cabin, Remington creates a scene of relaxed companionship; the casual, makeshift seating, the wisp of cigarette smoke from the mouth of the figure on the left, and the arrangement of figures to mirror the gentle downward slope of the roof, enhance the effect. Because the seated figure with his back to the viewer blocks most of the firelight, the cool tones of the moonlight dominate, and contribute to the calm mood of the painting.