Buffalo Herd Playing Cards

This design features a painting by the American artist Charles M. Russell (1864–1926). It shows a herd of American buffalo in a desert landscape. The animals are gathered around a lake or river, from which they are drinking. The bison have stocky bodies covered with brown hair; they also have large horns at the top of their heads. Bison are the biggest mammals that live wild in North America. There were millions of bison that roamed the prairies and valleys of the USA in the 19th century, but, because of mass hunting, there are now only thousands of the creatures remaining. The American bison is often used in North America in official seals, flags and logos. For example, in 2016, the American bison became the national mammal of the United States. This artwork was painted by Charles Russell in 1895.