Bloody Knife, General George Armstrong Custer, Private John Noonan and Colonel William Ludlow with a Bear Killed While Hunting During the Black Hills Expedition

LIBI_00019_00488; This item is an original albumen photograph of a hunting party and large bear killed on the Black Hills Expedition. The photograph is 6 1/2 x 9 1/8" (8 x 9 1/2" mounted) and was produced in circa 1874 by William H. Illingworth of St. Paul, Minnesota. On the front, a handwritten notation reads, "Gen'l Custer in [illegible word] with his first grizzly [illegible words]." On the verso, a handwritten notation in pencil reads, "Col. Ludlow/Private Noonan/Bloody Knife - Indian Scout" and is signed by Elizabeth B. Custer. General George A. Custer is seated between Bloody Knife and Private Noonan, directly behind the bear. A letter recounting the killing of the bear is reprinted in Mrs. Custer's book, "Boots and Saddles," page 304.; Print, Photographic [Mounted on Card]; Courtesy of the National Park Service, Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, LIBI_00019_00488, W. H. Illingworth, "Bloody Knife, General George Armstrong Custer, Private John Noonan and Colonel William Ludlow with a Bear