The Cheyenne chief Little Wolf fought in the 1876 Battle of the Little Bighorn against Colonel George Custer. Joseph Henry Sharp painted several portraits of Little Wolf and said that "[he] was a great tactician, noble character, lovable man and devoted friend" (Sharp to Mr. Ewers, August 8, 1948). Sharp wanted to capture the likeness of his Native American subjects, and in this portrait he used the effects of light to accentuate Little Wolf's chiseled features.