“An adventurous and determined young man, Roy Henry Robinson was born in Chicago in 1882 and eventually went into a contracting and construction business with his father after college. In the early 1900s, Roy’s collecting was first sparked by gifts of pueblo pottery and Navajo weavings from his sister, Edna, who had relocated to Santa Fe and whose brother-in-law, Dr. Harry P. Mera, was a curator of archaeology at Santa Fe’s Laboratory of Anthropology,” says Ingmars Lindbergs, director of Native American Art at Bonhams. “During the following decades, primarily the 1920s and ’30s…Roy’s vast collection was assembled, with the details of where, when and from whom each item or group was acquired carefully chronicled.”

A Lakota Sioux fully beaded woman’s dress Estimate: $80/120,000

Bonhams is holding a single-owner auction made up of approximately 540 lots from the collection of Roy Robinson during a two-day sale on October 26 and 27. Arguably the last remaining major private collection of Native American material culture from the early 20th century, the sale will offer ledger books, chief’s blankets, beaded dresses, serapes and more, with an emphasis on the cultures of the Great Lakes/Woodlands, Plains and the Southwest.

Fort Marion ledger book illustrated by Ohet-Toint (High Forehead, Kiowa, ca. 1848-1934/35). Two double-page illustrations by Tsitsistas (Cheyenne) warrior artist Bear’s Heart (Nock-ko-ist, 1851–1882), from the Bishop Henry Benjamin Whipple Fort Marion drawing book illustrated by Bear’s Heart and Ohet-Toint, 1876 Estimate: $80/120,000

A Navajo classic third phase chief’s wearing blanket Estimate: $25/35,000

“Of particular note is an exceptional, fully-beaded Lakota Sioux woman’s dress, a tour de force of early reservation-era beadwork,” says Lindbergs. The dress is estimated to fetch between $80,000 and $120,000. “Another documented item,” he adds, “is a spontoon tomahawk with elaborate beaded drop, held by the subject in the 1910 Edward S. Curtis photograph titled Many Bears – Flathead. Finally, of the greatest historical importance is the unprecedented offering of four intact and complete drawing books by Kiowa and Cheyenne men imprisoned between 1875 and 1878 at Fort Marion, Florida. Three books are individually illustrated by Cheyenne artist Bear’s Heart, Kiowa artist Ohet-Toint and Kiowa artist Etahdleuh Doanmoe, with the fourth book showcasing work by both Bear’s Heart and Ohet-toint.” Each ledger book has an estimate of  $80,000 to $120,000.

An Apsáalooke (Crow) beaded mirror bag with pictographic mirror Estimate: $10/15,000

Other major highlights include a Navajo classic third phase chief’s wearing blanket (est. $25/35,000; an Apsáalooke (Crow) beaded mirror bag with pictographic mirror (est. $10/15,000), a Navajo early classic child’s serape (est. $40/60,000) and a Northern Plains or Plateau effigy mirror board, estimated at $5,000 to $8,000.

From the Great Lakes to the Rio Grande: The Collection of Roy H. Robinson will be held at Bonhams’ Los Angeles location.

October 26-27, 2022
From the Great Lakes to the Rio Grande: The Collection of Roy H. Robinson
Bonhams, 7601 W. Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles CA 90046,
(323) 850-7500, www.bonhams.com

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