Portrait of Chief All O'Fire (i)
This is a portrait of a circus and vaudevillian performer who went by the name of Chief All O'Fire. It is speculated that he was actually Deaf Bull, a Crow chief active in the 1880s. Deaf Bull's screen name, Good Eye, was attributed to the one good eye he still had after a military prison guard hit him in the other eye with the back end of a rifle. Here he crouches in an action pose with a marked bow and arrow ready. He is wrapped up to the chest in a wool blanket and is adorned with large non-traditional necklaces, a scarf and brooch, and wide silver cuff around his arm. He dons a war bonnet with beaded rim, leather work, and painted feathers that would have been earned for acts of valor or bravery in battle. He looks directly at the camera with a fierce gaze that is established by the deep wrinkles and scarring that surrounds his eyes.