The undocumented Blood of the Ancestors rock art site (11SA557) was identified in the Shawnee Hill Section of southern Illinois in the spring of 2005. The Grotto is located proximate to a waterfall and a hematite rich seep. A detailed visual analysis revealed 23 pictographic elements. However, digital images, in RAW format and of approximately 8 megapixels, as well as image editing operations (Adobe Photoshop CS2) reflecting bit depths of 16 and 32 bits per channel minimally allowed for the identification of 46 discrete, prehistoric iconographic expressions. Additionally, the significant functional magnification (approximately five power) afforded by the 50 megabyte, Tagged Image File Format images made possible the recognition of micro-pecking and striking of the rock wall surfaces. Our image data sets also afforded important insights into element sequencing and element loss. Our investigation has obviated a simple fact: much of the rock art extant within the Grotto was unavailable to the unaided eye and to traditional techniques of data recording and processing. The instrumental techniques employed in this study, when applied to previously documented rock art sites, would likely yield substantial increases in our knowledge of the revealed art.