Icons of the Great Plains

            In remote areas of the Great Plains of Nebraska, cowboys place their worn-out boots up-side-down on fenceposts.  Left there through harsh winters and hot summers, the boots are transformed into another life.

            For over two years, between 1990 and 1991, Steve Szabo traveled to Nebraska in search of boots on fenceposts.  Ultimately, he exposed nearly 400 negatives and selected to print approximately 50 images he believed represented the best of his work. 

            This series explores these classic Western American “icons” as pieces of sculpture and objects of folk art.

            The photographs were printed during Steve Szabo’s lifetime, by himself or under his direct supervision.  After his death in the year 2000, no additional prints have been made from the negatives.