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National Anthropological Archives
Guide to Four drawings by an anonymous Cheyenne artist
Summary
- Collection ID:
- NAA.MS176622
- Creators:
-
Bourke, John Gregory, 1846-1896
- Dates:
-
before 1876
- Languages:
-
No linguistic content; Not applicable.
- Physical Description:
-
4 Drawings (visual works)graphite, colored pencil, and crayon, laminated
- Repository:
- Container:
- 176622 / 1781591
Scope and Contents
Scope and Contents
The collection consists of four (4) drawings of warfare on two loose pages torn from a ledger book. Bourke records that the book was captured in June 1876 from a camp then believed to be Sioux. This encounter is now known as the Battle of the Rosebud, and the camp identified as Northern Cheyenne, not Sioux.
Please note that the contents of the collection and the language and terminology used reflect the context and culture of the time of its creation. As an historical document, its contents may be at odds with contemporary views and terminology and considered offensive today. The information within this collection does not reflect the views of the Smithsonian Institution or National Anthropological Archives, but is available in its original form to facilitate research.
Biographical Note
Biographical Note
John Gregory Bourke (1846-1896) was an Army captain and prolific writer. A graduate of West Point, Bourke spent most of his military career in the Northern Plains under Brigadier General George Crook. After serving in these campaigns from 1869-1888, Bourke was given some time off from his military duties to study Native people. He compiled ethnological accounts of the Apache and several other tribes in the Southwest.
Administration
Custodial History
The drawings were donated to the Smithsonian by Mary Bourke, widow of John Gregory Bourke, on April 28, 1897 (USNM Accession 31963). The drawings were part of a larger set of Cheyenne drawings (described as "seven pictographs" in the accession papers) that derived from various sources. All drawings were cataloged under number 176622. When the drawings were separated and individually catalogued (1966) only 5 drawings were found. Catalog Numbers 176,622-f,-g were designated to cover two of the seven drawings called for in the accession papers. It is unclear if these drawings were transferred or lost.
One drawing by Howling Wolf (176622-e) was exchanged with Mrs. A. H. Richardson, the daughter of John Gregory Bourke, through the Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha, Nebraska on September 9, 1968. Mrs. Richardson owned the notebook to which this drawing belonged. In exchange, the USNM received a drawing by Yellow Nose (now MS 409978).
Five of the drawings from the original accession are now held by the National Museum of American History (GA.08109 - GA.08113).
The drawings in this collection (176622-a though 176622-d) were transferred from the object collections of the Department of Anthropology to the National Anthropological Archives in October 1970.
Digital Content
See all digital content in NAA.MS176622Using the Collection
Conditions Governing Use
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research.
Access to the collection requires an appointment.
Preferred Citation
Four drawings by an anonymous Cheyenne artist (MS 176622), National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Related Materials
Related Materials
Other drawings from the same ledger were pasted into Bourke's diary, which is now held by the Special Collections Library at the US Military Academy at West Point.
Five of the drawings collected by Bourke are now held by the National Museum of American History (GA.08109 - GA.08113).
More Information
Local Numbers
Local Numbers
NAA MS 176622
USNM Accession 31963
Keywords
| Keyword Terms | Keyword Types | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Works of art | Genre Form | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Drawings | Genre Form | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Ledger drawings | Genre Form | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Tsitsistas/Suhtai (Cheyenne) | Cultural Context | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| North America | Geographic | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
National Anthropological Archives
Museum Support Center
4210 Silver Hill Road
Suitland, Maryland 20746
Business Number: Phone: 301.238.1310
Fax Number: Fax: 301.238.2883
naa@si.edu
