Brigadier General Henry W. Hubbell (1842-1917) was stationed at St. Augustine, Florida from October 26, 1873 to December 2, 1875. He was subsequently stationed at Ft. Sill, Indian Territory (Oklahoma) from August 16, 1875 to August 18, 1876. While at Ft. Marion, Hubbell served as a 2nd Lieutenant in the 1st Artillery.
Fort Marion, also known as Castillo de San Marco, is a stone fortress in St. Augustine, Florida. Between 1875 and 1878, seventy-two prisoners from the southern plains were incarcerated in the fort. Captain Richard Pratt supervised the prisoners during their incarceration at Fort Marion. The prisoners consisted of 27 Kiowas, 33 Cheyennes, 9 Comanches, 2 Arapahos, and a single Caddo. With the exception of one Cheyenne woman, all the prisoners were men. They had been accused of participating in the recent Red River War, earlier hostilities, or both. With the exception of the wife and daughter of one of the Comanche men, the prisoners' families were not allowed to accompany them to Fort Marion.
The collection consists of a commercial notebook of ruled paper, now disbound, containing eleven (11) drawings by an unidentified Kiowa artist. Several of the drawings span two leaves. The drawings depict rituals associated with the sun dance; warfare; dancers; men seated in painted tipis; mounted warriors; and a train.
Please note that the contents of the collection and the language and terminology used reflect the context and culture of the time of its creation. As an historical document, its contents may be at odds with contemporary views and terminology and considered offensive today. The information within this collection does not reflect the views of the Smithsonian Institution or National Anthropological Archives, but is available in its original form to facilitate research.
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NAA MS 392725
USNM Accession 203386
OPPS NEG MNH 1269-K
Evidence suggests that Hubbell acquired this set of drawings from a Kiowa prisoner at Ft. Marion in St. Augustine, Florida. A second book of drawings collected by General Hubbell was offered for sale by George Terasaki in the 1990s. It contains an inscription describing the incarceration of the southern plains prisoners at Ft. Marion and indicating that the images were drawn by one of the prisoners. This establishes that Hubbell visited Ft. Marion and obtained a set of drawings from one of the prisoners. Thus it seems likely that the collection of drawings at the NAA were also obtained at Ft. Marion, although they were not created by the same artist. However, a comparison of drawing of a train in MA 392725 and a drawing of a train in a book in the collection of the National Museum of the American Indian (Collection #20-6236) suggest that these drawings were created by the same artist. As the latter set of drawings was collected at Ft. Marion, the results of this comparison seem to indicate that MS 392725 was also created there.
The drawings were donated to the Smithsonian Institution by General Hubbell's daughter Edith S. Hubbell of Warrenton, Virginia on October 5, 1954 (USNM accession number 203386). The drawings were transferred from the object collections of the Department of Anthropology to the National Anthropological Archives in 1969.
Book of drawings by an anonymous Kiowa artist (MS 392725), National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Anonymous Kiowa drawing of thirteen men lifting the center pole for the Sun Dance medicine lodge
NAA INV 08528201
NAA MS 392725 001
OPPS NEG 92-11406
Inscription reads "Putting up pole for Medicine Lodge." Depicts part of the Kiowa Sun Dance ceremony.
Anonymous Kiowa drawing of five men wearing body paint standing inside the Medicine Lodge and five individuals portraying buffalo being led to the Medicine Lodge by a man
Anonymous Kiowa drawing of five men wearing body paint standing inside the Medicine Lodge and five individuals portraying buffalo being led to the Medicine Lodge by a man
NAA INV 08528202
NAA INV 08528203
NAA MS 392725 002
OPPS NEG 92-11032
One drawing on two leaves. Inscription reads "Making Medicine in Lodge" and "Head medicine man." Depicts part of the Kiowa Sun Dance ceremony.
Anonymous Kiowa drawing of intertribal warfare
Anonymous Kiowa drawing of intertribal warfare
NAA INV 08528204
NAA INV 08528205
NAA MS 392725 003
OPPS NEG 92-11405
One drawing on two leaves. Inscriptions read "Horse killed" and "Foot prints." Drawing depicts shields and painted horses.
Anonymous Kiowa drawing of men stealing horses from corral
Anonymous Kiowa drawing of men stealing horses from corral
NAA INV 08528206
NAA INV 08528207
NAA MS 392725 004
OPPS NEG 92-11404
One drawing on two leaves. Inscription reads "Horse stealing party. See the man's tracks entering corral and driving out herd." Depicts horsetracks leading from a corral next to a structure to three mounted men driving horses.
Anonymous Kiowa drawing of dancing scene, with two mounted figures with lances, five men with hand held drums, and six dancers
Anonymous Kiowa drawing of dancing scene, with two mounted figures with lances, five men with hand held drums, and six dancers
NAA INV 08528208
NAA INV 08528209
NAA MS 392725 005
OPPS NEG 92-11420
One drawing on two leaves. Inscriptions read "Tom-toms" and "Dance." Depicts shields and no retreat sashes.
Anonymous Kiowa drawing of battle scene between Indians and cavalry
Anonymous Kiowa drawing of battle scene between Indians and cavalry
NAA INV 08528210
NAA INV 08528211
NAA MS 392725 006
OPPS NEG 92-11343
One drawing on two leaves. Inscription reads "Fight with cavalry and mountain guns." Depicts cavalrymen, artillery pieces, a guidon, a bugler, painted horses, shields, and no retreat sashes.
Anonymous Kiowa drawing of war dance, with five seated men with drums and eight dancers
Anonymous Kiowa drawing of war dance, with five seated men with drums and eight dancers
NAA INV 08528212
NAA INV 08528213
NAA MS 392725 007
OPPS NEG 92-11432
One drawing on two leaves. Inscriptions read "Orchestra" and "War Dance." Depicts hand held drums, a man wearing a peace medal, and six men wearing face paint, including one holding a pipe.
Anonymous Kiowa drawing of a small steam engine pulling two cars
NAA INV 08528214
NAA MS 392725 008
OPPS NEG 92-11431
Inscription reads "railway train."
Anonymous Kiowa drawing of chiefs' lodges
Anonymous Kiowa drawing of chiefs' lodges
NAA INV 08528215
NAA INV 08528216
NAA MS 392725 009
OPPS NEG 92-11433
One drawing on two leaves. Inscription reads "Lodges of chiefs." Depicts men sitting in painted tipis with the cover partially rolled up and two men sitting astride a painted horse outside.
Anonymous Kiowa drawing of chiefs' lodges
Anonymous Kiowa drawing of chiefs' lodges
NAA INV 08528217
NAA INV 08528218
NAA MS 392725 010
OPPS NEG 92-11342
One drawing on two leaves. Inscription reads "Lodges of chiefs." Depicts men sitting in painted tipis with the cover partially rolled up, men wearing peace medals standing outside of the tipis, holding a painted horse with a scalp hanging from its bridle, and lances.
Anonymous Kiowa drawing of six mounted warriors carrying shields
Anonymous Kiowa drawing of six mounted warriors carrying shields
NAA INV 08528219
NAA INV 08528220
NAA MS 392725 011
OPPS NEG 92-11401
One drawing on two leaves. Drawing depicts shields, painted horses, and a no retreat sash. There is an inscription on the drawing that is not legible.