Sketchbook 1876

drawing

toned paper

muted colour palette

sketch book

personal sketchbook

united-states

sketchbook drawing

watercolour illustration

storyboard and sketchbook work

cartoon carciture

sketchbook art

watercolor

This drawing by the artist Koba, a member of the Kiowa tribe, depicts two figures on horseback, likely Kiowa warriors. The artwork was created in 1876, a pivotal year in the history of the Kiowa tribe. The simple lines and bold colors give the artwork a striking, almost graphic quality. The detailed costumes and horses suggest a ceremonial or ritualistic scene, hinting at the rich cultural traditions of the Kiowa people. This sketchbook page is an important example of Native American art, offering insight into the artistic expression of the Kiowa tribe during a significant period of their history.

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minneapolisinstituteofart about 1 year ago

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A millennia old art form, Plains Indian drawings appear on rocks, hides, muslin, cloth, and paper. Drawings can depict a variety of subjects, including great accomplishments of individual men, important historical events, and ceremonial and daily life on the Plains. Kiowa artist Koba created a sketchbook while falsely imprisoned at Fort Marion, in St. Augustine, Florida. Held for three years (1875–1878) without trial, he then went to school in Virginia and Pennsylvania, as part of a government effort to assimilate Native people into Euro-American society. In 1880 he returned to his people in Oklahoma, only to die two weeks later of tuberculosis. His sketchbook portrays daily life when he was free and lived in Indian Country. In this buffalo-hunting scene, he included himself on horseback, to show his hunting prowess, and cleverly used both pages to indicate how many buffalo he had hunted.