Drawings of Exploits in Battle

On each drawing, warrior Little Shield depicts himself riding into the action from the right, a conventional pictorial device. His horse is at full gallop, and he holds his arms outstretched. On six of the eight works, he brandishes a feathered shield.
These drawings represent the artist’s exploits in battle prior to 1868, and they were originally contained within a bound book with fifteen of his other works. Although horses and figures, in keeping with the earliest mode of pictorial representation, are elongated and highly simplified, they project a sense of energy and movement as well as the intensity of battle. Biographic drawings on paper represent a continuation of earlier narrative art painted on hide shirts and robes and depicted on rock formations over much of the American West.

Utes/Killed Heap Squaws and Papoos
In this drawing, the second in the series, Little Shield depicts himself charging into a Ute camp. The warriors emerge from their tipis and fire muskets, wounding him. He does not hold a weapon; his red, feathered shield protects him from death and brings victory over the Utes.