Native American Art Online

drawn with graphite pencil on thin unlined paper; depicting a well-dressed man wearing a bow tie, long coat, and trousers; cane in hand; the figure has his hair cut short and under a cap; inscribed upper right corner Standing Bear - Ogalla

8-1/4 x 5-5/8 inches

Provenance:
By descent directly through the family of Captain (later Colonel) Charles A.H. McCauley to the present owner, Col. McAuley's great-grandson.

The man depicted in this drawing is likely Luther Standing Bear (Oglala-Brulé Lakota, 1868-1939).  Most known for his writings in the 1930s on Lakota life and commentaries on Federal Indian policy, Standing Bear also traveled and performed with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show (1902-1904) and appeared in Hollywood films (1912-1939).  While in Hollywood, he actively fought for accurate portrayals of Native peoples on screen and helped found the Indian Actors Association in 1936.

Standing Bear was born on Rosebud Agency in 1868 and lived there until he was sent to Carlisle Indian Industrial School.  After graduating from the inaugural class at Carlisle in 1885, he returned to Rosebud Agency, where he stayed until his move to the Pine Ridge Reservation in 1890/1891.

The dates of Standing Bear’s return to the Rosebud Agency correspond to those of Captain Charles A.H. McCauley's time at Rosebud, as well as the timeline for his acquisition of the Rosebud Agency Ledger Book in Lot 56.

Furthing the identification, are similarities between the man in this drawing and two photographs taken of Luther Standing Bear at Carlisle in 1880 and 1883 by John N. Choate. [Choate, John N.: Luther Standing Bear and Willard Standing Bear, c.1883
(https://carlisleindian.dickinson.edu/images/luther-standing-bear-and-willard-standing-bear-c1883) and Luther Standing Bear, c. 1880 (https://carlisleindian.dickinson.edu/images/luther-standing-bear-c1880)]. Standing Bear is seen, in both images, with a shortened hairstyle and wearing a dark wool coat, trousers, leather shoes, bow tie, and hat.  It would be easy to conclude that upon his return to Rosebud a few years later, he would still have been in possession of and wearing similar attire.

Although it cannot be known for certain that the striking figure in the drawing is Luther Standing Bear, the similarities in dress along with the coinciding life events with those of Captain McCauley, make for a compelling argument for the attribution.