Independent Spirits brings to vivid life the West as seen by women painters. Expert scholars and curators identify these long-ignored talents and reveal them to be formidable cultural innovators, and campaigners for the rights of artists and women during this extraordinary period. Profusely illustrated, this volume includes works by women of Native American, African, Asian, and Mexican descent, and reveals an astonishing range of subjects and styles, from Realism to Surrealism. The various essays examine the many economic, social, and political forces that shaped their art.