Cabinet card photograph by H. W. Stormer of Manitou, Colorado, presenting a striking portrait of five cowboys posed on horseback in full outdoor gear. The men are positioned in a loose line, their mounts alert, with each rider wearing wide-brimmed hats, boots, and tailored coats. The image captures both the ruggedness and the emerging frontier style of the American West in the late 19th century, with the figures framed by a natural backdrop of trees and scrub. The composition is direct and unembellished, lending the scene an authentic documentary quality while also appealing to the era’s fascination with Western life.

The photograph is mounted on its original card stock, with the reverse printed as part of Stormer’s “Artistic Views of Colorado” series. The verso serves as a promotional broadside for “Manitou—Saratoga of the West,” advertising the mineral springs at the foot of Pike’s Peak and detailing the chemical analysis of each spring’s waters. It also extols the surrounding attractions, from the “Garden of the Gods” to the “Cave of the Winds” and Monument Park, highlighting Manitou’s growing reputation as both a health resort and a tourist destination.

Henry W. Stormer was an active Colorado photographer whose work served both documentary and promotional purposes in the 1880s and 1890s. His images often combined local portraiture with sweeping views intended to draw visitors to the region. This photograph is a fine example of his ability to merge human subjects with the regional landscape, illustrating not only the individuals but also the cultural identity of the West at a time when Colorado was promoting itself as a frontier resort.