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In 1877 a twenty-five year old
Edgar S. Paxson arrived in Montana. Nearly
twenty-five years later the frontier artist completed what many regard as “the best pictoral representation of the battle,” a 6 by
9 foot painting he called “Custer’s Last Stand”.
The
artist spent twenty years researching, and eight years painting the monumental
work, interviewing nearly one hundred men on both sides including the Sioux chief Gall and the
Cheyenne warrior Two Moon.
From these interviews Paxson, in his effort to achieve historical accuracy, made detailed journals
about the equipment, attire, and physical location of each man on the
battlefield.
Upon completion the painting went on a tour
around America, with an admission price of twenty-five cents.
The painting now resides at the Buffalo Bill
Center of the West.
Custer’s Last Stand Re-examined
