Little Chief, an Oglala Lakota leader, is depicted in this cabinet card produced by Abraham Bogardus at his Broadway studio in New York City. The photograph dates to the early 1870s, consistent with Bogardus's documented work photographing Native American delegations visiting the city during that period. Bogardus operated at 872 Broadway, corner of 18th Street, and was among the most prominent portrait photographers in New York during this era.

The subject is seated in a studio chair wearing a large full war bonnet with dark-tipped feathers extending down his left side, fringed leather leggings, and a dark vest over a shirt with a cross-shaped chest ornament. A folded document or paper rests across his lap, and his expression is composed and direct. Moccasins are visible at his feet, and the feathered bonnet trails nearly to the floor.

Little Chief was an important Oglala Sioux leader who participated in treaty negotiations and delegation visits to Washington and eastern cities during the 1870s, making studio portraits such as this one a documented part of his historical record.

The reverse bears the printed Bogardus studio imprint and handwritten inscriptions reading "Little Chief," "84 819," and "590687."