Michael Lehr Antiques
Live Auction

Winter Photographic History Auction 2026

Sat, Jan 31, 2026 01:00PM EST
Lot 266

Chief Little Wound in Council, Oglala Sioux – Heyn Photo, 1899

Estimate: $400 - $600

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$20,000 $2,000

Large-format gelatin silver print measuring 7" x 9" depicting Chief Little Wound standing before a semicircle of Oglala council members, photographed during the period immediately following the 1898 Indian Congress and issued by Heyn Photo with the 1899 copyright. The image derives from the celebrated series made by Frank A. Rinehart at the Trans-Mississippi Exposition, whose negatives were later printed and marketed by his partner and successor, William R. Heyn.

Little Wound (Tȟašína Lúta), a leading Oglala statesman and longtime Kiyuksa headman, stands in full regalia at the center of the frame, holding a long ceremonial staff. Arrayed behind him are more than a dozen Oglala men, all wearing feathered war bonnets, bone breastplates, and quilled or beaded shirts. The carefully composed outdoor setting, with the group arranged in a traditional half-circle, echoes council practices and lends the portrait unusual documentary weight within the Rinehart–Heyn corpus.

This image ranks among the most important Sioux group portraits produced at Omaha, capturing Little Wound near the end of his public life and recording several prominent Oglala leaders who participated in the Indian Congress exhibitions. While smaller platinum prints from these negatives surface regularly, large-format enlargements with the 1899 Heyn copyright mark are significantly scarcer.

Moderate edge toning and light surface wear consistent with age. Strong detail across the council group and regalia. A rare and highly desirable example from one of the foundational photographic records of Oglala political leadership at the turn of the century.

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