Lot 489

1919 Arapaho Buck White Bird Ledger Drawing

Estimate: $2,000 - $3,000

Bid Increments

Price Bid Increment
$50 $10
$100 $25
$500 $50
$1,000 $100
$2,000 $250
$5,000 $500
$10,000 $1,000
$25,000 $2,500
$50,000 $5,000
$100,000 $10,000
This is an outstanding, original Arapaho 1919 Buck White Bird ledger drawing art from the Webbster House Collection depicting a war scene. The original Ledger painting is signed bottom right Buck White Bird and dated 1919 from the Arapaho Native American Indian and also marked H56, possibly the school or student number. The work depicts a massacre war scene of the Indian Wars period showing Arapaho Warriors on horse back fighting grey coat United States soldiers with many dead and in full war regalia. Truly a beautiful work of art. Provenance: From The Webbster House Collection. From the title plaque, "Kenneth Webbster was a doctor who collected Native American memorabilia from about 1930 until his death in 1967. After his death, his kids turned his home / office into a mini gallery to display his collection. It was called the Webbster House Collection. The ledgers he collected are mostly all from either the Carlisle Indian Industrial School that was in Pennsylvania or a placed called St. Mary's Indian Board School in Wisconsin. Students were not just children and the schools served as what was referred to as re-education schools for adults well. Drawings were sent to donor and supporters of the schools as gifts and were coveted by many of the recipients. This would account for why the students of these schools were encouraged to draw these pictures." Ledger art is traditionally drawings done with pen, pencil, crayon, color pencil and sometimes watercolor that the Indians obtained through trade or by taking them from soldiers bodies on the battlefield. For nearly 70 years, ledger art was a transitional medium that mirrored the changes in Plains Indian life at the time. The ledger art is well preserved and shows a thicker paper or velum with the painting showing some color bleed, water spots and darkened corners, which only adds to the beauty and age of the piece. Has museum glass without glare atop and fine burl veneer solid wood rustic frame. Visible art area measures 11” by 8”. Frame is 18” by 16” by 1”.

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