Ledger Art: 19th Century Indigenous Drawings on Accounting Paper Gain Recognition
Ledger Art, a tradition among Native Americans from the 1860s to the 1920s, was developed by Plains tribes such as the Lakota, Cheyenne, Comanche, and Kiowa. They utilized lined accounting books as their canvases due to the shortage of buffalo hides. This artistic expression transitioned from indigenous pictographic styles to the use of pencil and watercolor on paper. Significant pieces were created at Fort Marion, Florida, where more than 70 southern Plains warriors were held captive from 1875 to 1878. The Smithsonian's National Anthropological Archive possesses around 2,000 ledger art pieces. In 2021, Lakota artist Dana Claxton organized 'Fast Ponies and War Bonnets.' Contemporary artists are still practicing this art, with individual pieces valued at tens of thousands of dollars and housed in various museums.
Key facts
- Ledger Art flourished from approximately 1860 to 1920
- Created by Plains tribes including Lakota, Cheyenne, Comanche, Kiowa
- Used accounting ledger books as canvas due to buffalo hide scarcity
- Fort Marion in St. Augustine, Florida was a significant production site from 1875-1878
- Smithsonian's National Anthropological Archive holds around 2,000 items
- Dana Claxton curated 'Fast Ponies and War Bonnets' online exhibition in 2021
- Donald Ellis plans a 2022 U.S. tour of ledger art to indigenous communities
- Contemporary practitioners include Terrance Guardipee and Dolores Purdy
Entities
Artists
- He Nupa Wanica
- Koba (Wild Horse)
- Julian Scott Ledger Artist A
- Wohaw
- Little Fingernail
- Na Hi Yurs
- Skunk
- Dana Claxton
- Donald Ellis
- Merle Locke
- Terrance Guardipee
- Donald Montileaux
- Dolores Purdy
- Dwayne Wilcox
Institutions
- Donald Ellis Gallery
- The Metropolitan Museum
- Denver Library
- National Parks Service Archive
- New York Natural History Museum
- Outsider Art Fair
- Smithsonian National Anthropological Archive
- National Museum of the American Indian
- Milwaukee Public Museum
- Hood Museum of Art
- Plains Indian Ledger Art Digital Publishing Project (PILA)
- Drawing Centre
- Minneapolis Institute of Art
- Carlisle Indian Industrial School
- First National Bank in Sheridan
Locations
- New York, NY, USA
- Saint Augustine, FL, USA
- Denver, CO, USA
- Montana, USA
- Florida, USA
- Utah, USA
- Nine Mile Canyon
- San Rafael Canyon
- Northern Plains
- Southern Plains
- Great Basin
- Plateau
- Plains region
- America
- United States