The Active Historian

Hey, friend! Welcome back to another post! Today, we’re talking about an exhibition currently on display at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

“Italy’s Legendary Cowboys of the Maremma: Photographs by Gabrielle Saveri” showcases the work of the butteri. This exhibition will be open through May 5, 2024, so there’s still time for you to go see it!

Story Behind the Exhibition

The butteri are from Maremma, Italy. They are cattle breeders and expert horsemen and women who raise their own breed of cattle and horses in Tuscany.

Photojournalist, Gabrielle Saver heard about the butteri’s story and wanted to capture their work with her camera. She took these photos from 2013-2019 in hopes of capturing the traditions of the butteri so that they are not lost to history.

It is estimated that roughly thirty working butteri in the Maremma are left due to economic recessions, low pay and how physically rough the job actually is.

The buttero culture is something many people have fallen in love with and they have chosen to adopt traditional Italian cowboy clothing styles because of it. These people are also hoping to preserve the history of the butteri for generations to come.

Now, let’s talk about the exhibition at The Cowboy!

The Exhibition

I have included a few photos below from the exhibition, but just know this isn’t everything that’s currently on display! These are the photos that stuck out to me.

Concluding Thoughts

I really enjoyed seeing this exhibition at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. I had never heard of the butteri before seeing this exhibition. Saveri’s photographs taught me a new aspect of cowboy culture. For that, I will always be grateful for her work.

“Italy’s Legendary Cowboys of the Maremma, Photographs by Gabrielle Saveri” will be on display through May 5, 2024, if you want to go see it for yourself!

Happy traveling! I’ll talk to ya soon!

Visit

1700 Northeast 63rd St. 
Oklahoma City, OK 73111 

Sources

“Italy’s Legendary Cowboys of the Maremma, Photographs by Gabrielle Saveri” – National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum website

*Panels within the exhibition.