Tom Lea’s Ghosts at Noon Came Riding (1937) depicts a dramatic and haunting scene of Comanche warriors riding across the vast Texas plains. Unlike his cowboy-focused works, this piece captures the spirit and movement of Native American life before the West was settled. The warriors appear as ghostly figures in the midday heat, blending into the desolate landscape, symbolizing their presence and impending disappearance as the frontier changes. The painting reflects Lea’s deep respect for the history and culture of the region, portraying the tension and poignancy of a vanishing way of life in the American Southwest.