Howling Wolf and the History of Ledger Art

Book excerpt: "Ledger art is the term used to describe Plains Indian drawings and paintings on paper from the second half of the nineteenth century because they were often made on ledger paper readily available from military outposts. Howling Wolf is arguably the single most important ledger artist to emerge from the anonymity of this period. The Southern Cheyenne warrior was not only an extremely skilled artist, he was also the only Plains artist known to have created ledger art in all three phases of the art form: the pre-reservation era, the years from 1875 to 1878 when Indians of the southern Plains were confined at Fort Marion in Florida, and the reservation period. Howling Wolf's drawings while he was a prisoner at Fort Marion and those he made upon returning to the reservation were known, but this book presents the first in-depth examination of his previously undiscovered work from before his incarceration. The author shows ledger art to be a significant record of cultural attitudes of Plains Indian artists at a time when their societies were in great upheaval. She examines the works of art not only as historic documents but as visual statement reflecting the time, place, and society in which they originated. In contrast to the belief that ledger art was a stagnant form adhering to tradition, the author presents ledger art as a dynamic and inventive means of expression."--Book jacket.