Michael Lehr Antiques
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Winter Photographic History Auction 2026

Sat, Jan 31, 2026 01:00PM EST
  2026-01-31 13:00:00 2026-01-31 13:00:00 America/New_York Michael Lehr Michael Lehr : Winter Photographic History Auction 2026 https://auction.michaellehrantiques.com/auctions/michael-lehr-antiques/winter-photographic-history-auction-2026-21839
We are pleased to present our Winter Photography Auction, opening January 31 at 1:00 PM Eastern, featuring approximately 270 individual lots spanning the full breadth of 19th- and early 20th-century photography. The sale brings together landmark historical images, rare early photographic processes, and a deep selection of vernacular material created outside the conventions of formal studio portraiture. Collectively, these works offer a direct, unfiltered record of American life, identity, conflict, labor, and memory during photography’s formative century.
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Lot 266

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

Estimate: $400 - $600
Starting Bid
$200

Bid Increments

Price Bid Increment
$0 $10
$200 $25
$500 $50
$1,000 $100
$2,000 $250
$5,000 $500
$10,000 $1,000
$20,000 $2,000
Large-format gelatin silver print 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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