Romero’s interest in cowboy culture began in childhood, when he and his younger brother shared a love of classic Western cinema. For Romero, Western films evoke memories of the 1950s, when he watched shows like Buffalo Bill Cody and Howdy Doody with his neighbors. Romero’s mother, Delia, fostered this appreciation: "I remember my mother made us these beautiful wool cowboy shirts for Christmas. They were light blue with purple piping, and they were all embroidered with flowers and stuff, and I think she had those made up for us,” says Frank Romero in an interview with Jeffrey Rangel for the Archives of American Art (1997).