Slim wrote the first instructional guide to brain tanning back in the early seventies, and taught Riggs' and Robert Earthworm the dryscrape method of brain tanning. Most tanners in the US, especially the west, learned how to tan from Riggs', Earthworm, or someone who learned from Riggs and Earthworm (like Matt Richards or Matt & Molly, or Steven Edholm, or....).
Slim's grandson, Gordon Smith, sent me this never before published picture of Slim via the internet, combined with a request to find him another copy of Slim's book (his had burned up in a fire). Gordon said that a limited edition of Slim's book "The Indian Art of Tanning Buckskin" had had a brain tanned cover! Now there's a collectors item!
What I love best about this picture is the quality of Slim's clothing. That is some nice work. You can click on the photo to get a more detailed view. While Slim had obviously never worn this jacket while sleeping in the dirt along-side a campfire, his grandson said he never heard of Slim wearing anything but brain tan buckskin