Last Updated on April 30, 2025 by Patrick Nichols
The Wild West was a place of grit and myth, where gunfighters and lawmen carved their names into history under the harsh sun and open skies. Their stories have long lived in dusty archives and faded photographs, with their faces locked in black and white, staring out from wanted posters or yellowed newspapers. But these weren’t just symbols of an era; they were living, breathing people with fire in their eyes and dirt on their boots.
In this collection, we bring together 15 portraits of frontier legends, each colorized to restore the life that was stripped away by black and white. These images aren’t just touched up, they’re reawakened, revealing the raw humanity behind the legend. Here are 15 colorized photos of Wild West legends.
1. Frank Eaton (Pistol Pete)
This name is now shared by basketball stars and cartoon characters, but the original Pistol Pete was a sheriff and a cowboy. He picked up the gun at just 8 years old.
2. Jesse James
What a weird-looking bowtie.
3. Butch Cassidy (Robert LeRoy Parker)
This photo was taken as he entered the Wyoming Territorial Prison in 1894.
4. Annie Oakley
Annie Oakley was a sharpshooter in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show.
5. William F. Cody
Jackets like this need to make a comeback.
6. Buffalo Bill (William Cody)
This photo was taken while he was in the Union Army. He was just 19 at the time.
7. Wild Bill
Wild Bill was known for his short temper and many murders.
8. Calamity Jane
Calamity Jane was a storyteller and a sharpshooter. She ran with Wild Bill Hickok.
9. Doc Holliday
A gambler, gunfighter, and dentist all in one. He was truly a jack of all trades and had a killer mustache.
10. Bass Reeves
Reeves was one of the most feared lawmen in the Wild West.
11. Wyatt Earp
Wyatt Earp was a lawman in Missouri. He had a reputation as a tough lawman who kept outlaws in check.
12. John Wesley Hardin
Hardin had his first kill at just 15 years old. After that, they just became easier and easier. Rumor had it he killed someone for snoring too loudly in a hotel.
13. Henry McCarthy, better known as Billy the Kid, 1880
How was he such a good shot when he was cross-eyed?
14. Stagecoach Mary
Ranchers used the railroad to transport cattle, which led to lots of railroad robberies. Stagecoach Mary was hired as a mail carrier to protect livestock while it was being transported.
15. Butch Cassidy and the Wild Bunch
Front row left to right: Harry Alonzo Longabaugh, (Alias the Sundance Kid), Ben Kilpatrick, (Alias the Tall Texan), Robert Leroy Parker, (Alias Butch Cassidy); Standing: Will Carver, (Alias News Carver), and Harvey Logan, (Alias Kid Curry).
Want to see more of the world before the modern age?
Step back a century in 37 Photos From 100 Years Ago That Put Time in Perspective, explore everyday life in Colorized Photos From the 1800s, or journey west in 20 Colorized Photos of the American West Before It Was Tamed.
