Keeping Time: Plains Indian Ledger Drawings 1865-1900

Keeping Time: Plains Indian Ledger Art showcases forty-seven drawings by various Native American warrior-artists. The term Ledger Art derives from the lined accounting ledgers that became available to Native Americans after contact with Euro-Americans, and was widely used in the reservation period, roughly after 1860. While the earliest ledger drawings continued the tradition of depicting military exploits and acts of personal heroism previously established in buffalo hide painting, changes occurred with the forced displacement of populations on to reservations. As the era of the warrior ended, the subject matter of ledger drawings gradually shifted from warfare and military exploits to scenes of ceremonial life, domestic hunting and courtship. In documenting these changes, Ledger Art is an invaluable chronicle of 19th century life and adaptation by Native American peoples of the Great Plains.

With several essays exploring the historical and artistic significance of Plains Ledger Art and its subject-matter by acclaimed scholars Ross Frank and Janet Berlo.