Richard Erdoes was an illustrator, photographer and author of books. His detailed, whimsical drawings were published in magazines such as Life, Fortune, and Sports Illustrated in the 1950s, and later in children's periodicals and books in the 1960s. An assignment for Life in 1967 brought him to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, and marked the beginning of his fascination with Native American culture, and outrage at the conditions on the reservation. The passion for these subjects led him to the work for which he would be best known: writing histories and stories of the Native American experience.
