6 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 97 



This coloring, however, serves to impart Hfe and meaning to the designs, 

 to relieve the groupings from confusion, and is sometimes so arranged as to 

 produce quite an artistic effect of chiaro-oscuro. It may be further noted that 

 there is no attempt at foreshortening, the objects and figures being all shown 

 in flat profile, and without exception, all looking and moving in the same 

 direction, that is, from right to left. 



Of all the objects presented by the artist, the figure of the buffalo bull is 

 elaborated with the most intelligent and loving minuteness. The horses and 

 mules are drawn with a free and well-assured hand, with a tendency to manner- 

 ism, relieved somewhat by distinctive character in color, markings, and details. 

 He is least happy in his delineations of the human figure, draperies, and 

 accoutrements, although in some scenes his attitudes are spirited and his 

 costumes sufficiently marked to enable us to identify the sex and country of 

 those who have had the honor to sit for their portraits to this distinguished 

 limner. 



The information in the two foregoing newspaper accounts con- 

 cerning the manner in which the pictographic record was obtained 

 at Fort Buford presumably was obtained from Dr. Kimball's now 

 missing introduction. The article published by Harper's Weekly 

 reproduces ii of the drawings with a rather detailed description of 

 the set based partly on the Kiml^all index and partly upon specula- 

 tion by the editor. 



As already indicated, the pictures are drawn on the reverse side 

 of loose-leaf roster pages of the Thirty-first United States Infantry. 

 The numbers were subsequently placed on them arbitrarily without 

 regard to the actual chronology of the events described.^ 



In 1881 the pictures, together with the Kimball index, were for- 

 warded through Col. George S. Andrews to Rev. John P. Williamson, 

 missionary with the Sioux, who showed them to Sitting Bull for 

 purposes of verification. The results obtained from this interview 

 are explained in the following letter : 



Fort Randall, Dakota Ter. 

 Dec. 12, 1881. 

 Col. Geo. L. Andrews, 

 25 U. S. Infantry, 

 Commanding Post, 



Sir : 



I have the honor to state that in connection with Capt. G. Lawson, I inter- 

 viewed Sitting Bull in regard to the supposed "Hyeroglyphic Autobiography" 

 of himself, contained in pictured sketches, numbered i to 55, obtained by Jas. C. 

 Kimball, Ass't. Surgeon, U.S.A., in the year 1870. 



' Vestal, in describing them, has placed them in what he considers to be the 

 order in which the different feats took place. 



