Various owners (dispersed); Donald Ellis Gallery; Hal Walker Collection; Guernsey’s, Harrisburg, PA, July 7, 2013; private collection; Will Channing Auction, Santa Fe, August 8-10, 1991; ... ; W. H. Goodwyn.

NYT (8/2/1991): “Will Channing, the auctioneer, said in a telephone interview from Santa Fe on Wednesday that he had based the attribution of the naive multi-colored pencil drawings on the contents of a 1911 letter accompanying this lot, written to Dr. R. G. Ferguson of Great Falls, Mont., by W. H. Goodwyn, a Canadian Northwest Mounted Police officer.

Goodwyn said the book was found in 1878 or 1879 in the Milk River Valley near the Canadian border of what is now Montana. "I was along the boundary line close to both parties the whole time and witnessed several skirmishes and small engagements," Goodwyn wrote to Dr. Ferguson, who was buying the ledger book. As one battle ended, Goodwyn recalls, he came across some Indians who "were killed by U.S. troops or scouts." He said he found the drawings in a ledger book in the clothing of one.

According to Goodwyn, the Indian was identified as Assiniboine by a symbol of a turtle, which was Sitting Bull's insignia, found in the book. He was also told that Little Assiniboine, whom Sitting Bull had adopted, was an artist. Little Assiniboine, however, died with Sitting Bull in 1890."

Guernsey’s: From the W. H. Goodwyn Collection of Ledger Drawings. According to a letter dated Jan. 16, 1911 written from Great Falls, Montana to Dr. Ferguson, W. H. Goodwyn served as a Northeast Mounted Police Officer during General Miles' campaign against the Teton Sioux led by Sitting Bull some two years after Custer's defeat at the Little Big Horn. In the course of this campaign, Goodwyn came across a small ledger book containing drawings of the war exploits of one of Sitting Bull's sons, Little Assiniboine, who was killed by Miles' soldiers and scouts.

The drawings of the book are pencil and colors and depict the artist's own exploits. A copy of the original letter outlining the circumstances under which the ledger book was obtained is included in the lot. "I was in the North West Mounted Police at the time when General Miles USA had his campaign against the Teton Sioux Indians under Sitting Bull in the summer and fall of 1878 or 1879 in the...River valley. ...we came across a couple of Indians killed by U.S. Troops...when searching...bag...found the book and drawings...a man named...who kept trading store for J. Thompson & Co. of Poplar Point Agency identifed the book as having been stolen from his store...".