Ledger Drawing

This drawing is page 72 from the Vincent Price Ledger Book. The group of drawings from the Vincent Price Ledger Book date back to the earliest, pre-reservation phase of Plains Indian Ledger Art. The book was named after the American actor Vincent Price who acquired a rare collection of eighty-six ledger drawings in the early 1950s. The drawings in the Vincent Price Ledger Book, dating from about 1875 to 1878, primarily depict the exploits of Cheyenne warriors during the conflicts of the Indian Wars, when warrior artists used new materials to chronicle the tumultuous changes in Plains life following contact with the US Cavalry. The name glyphs present in the book tentatively identify known Cheyenne warriors such as Jumping Rabbit, Eagle Head, Two Crows, Black Horse, and Starving Elk. This particular drawing is attributed to Ma-Nim-Ick, the father of Howling Wolf, one of the most accomplished Ledger artists of the Fort Marion period.