Andy Warhol released the “Cowboys and Indians” Limited Edition Print Portfolio in 1986. It was his last edition with 10 prints. They are silkscreens at Lenox Museum Board. Rupert Jasen Smith was the printer and Gaultney, Klineman Art, Inc. was the publisher.
Understanding the “Sitting Bull” in Andy Warhol’s 1986 “Cowboys and Indians” Portfolio is confusing. Twice in the last month I have had customers confused about the “Sitting Bull”. Well, it’s confusing and I’ve never seen a good explanation. there is even more confusing surrounding “John Wayne”, but that’s for a later article! Below is the breakdown of the Portfolio:
Each of the 250 “Cowboys and Indians” Regular Edition Portfolios contains 10 different prints:
- geronimo
- Mother and son
- John Wayne
- Plains Indian Shield
- custer
- Annie Oakley
- Kachina dolls
- indian head nickel
- Northwest Coast Mask
- teddy roosevelt
Each of the exclusive 36 Trial Proof Edition “Cowboys and Indians” portfolios has the 10 mentioned above plus 4 more for a total of 14 prints. Each print has a unique color combination.
- Sitting bull
- buffalo head nickel
- indian war cap
- action image
To add to the confusion, an unknown number (possibly 250) of “Sitting Bulls” of the same color were printed for the Regular Edition, but not used. They were thought to be one of 10 in the regular issue, but they were replaced by another image in the post. These are available on the market and are not signed or numbered. These unpublished sitting bulls have been authenticated by the Andy Warhol Art Authentication Board and Estate of Andy Warhol.