Good guys wear white and bad guys wear black. Texas cowboys have been around as long as Texas has been part of the West. These are just a few of the widely-held beliefs about cowboys, but are they true?  In this introductory lesson about cowboys students observe artwork by noted Western artists Charles Marion Russell and William Robinson Leigh that portray cowboys and have contributed to the Texas cowboy myth. Use these works as a springboard for teaching the difference between the mythic version of the Texas cowboy and the reality of cowboy life.

Note: References in this lesson are made to students doing parts of the lesson online. If computers are not available for student use, alternate options are given.