American Bison

This pencil study depicts a bison in profile, rendered with careful attention to the animal's musculature and distinctive features. The drawing exemplifies late-nineteenth-century naturalistic study, capturing the creature's powerful build and shaggy coat through parallel hatching and precise line work. Such studies served documentary purposes during a period of intense interest in American fauna and indigenous cultures. The inscription identifies this as a Sioux drawing, reflecting the cross-cultural artistic exchange and ethnographic documentation that characterized the era's visual culture.