I came across some more Scott photos and tried to find out more about him.
It's not easy to accurately link photos to phases of Scott's career; however, he established a photographic studio in Deadwood from 1883 – 1887, although a Charles Kersting* took over one branch (?) of his business in 1884. We can see several studio backdrops in his work. Presumably the fancier backdrop was in his Deadwood studio and the cruder backdrops may well belong to his mobile/temporary studio at Fort Yates. I think I read in Fleming and Luskey that the tipi backdrop dates from 1884/85 at the earliest and at least one of the existing photos has the date 1888 on it – of course, the date could have been added later.
**We have a note by Scott naming several notables of the day that he photographed: Rain in the Face, Sitting Bull, Big Head, Mad Bear, Grass, Wolf Necklace ("decorated with 9 scalps"), Gall, Long Dog, Hairy Chin, Mrs Two Bear, Scarlet Woman, “a miniture [sic] of Sitting Bull’s Ghost Dance,” and others in native dress, dance costumes etc…
Looking at this bio, it would seem that he didn’t start in the photography business until 1883 and that he was out of it by the end of 1887 – except that he entered the signal service and spent time at, amongst other places, Deadwood, Yankton, Bismarck and Fort Yates before quitting and opening another studio at Lander. However, it’s clear he was an active photographer during this interim period because he was making images around Standing Rock, including Scarlet Woman, the Messiah’s mother.
GEORGE W. SCOTTBorn and reared at Georgetown. District of Columbia, on the banks of the historic Potomac, where the life of the nation centers, and which was during the Civil War an almost unbroken line of battle, having served his country in the signal corps and weather bureau in many places, George W. Scott of this service and an artistic photographer at Lander, has a wide and varied experience. His birth occurred on March 21, 1854, a son of John and Sarah C. (Bingey) Scott, the father a native of Washington, D. C, and the mother of New Jersey, the father being a prominent merchant in the Federal City, where he died in 1897 at the age of eighty, his wife having preceded him to the grave in 1863, when she was but thirty-six. Of their eight children, but two are living, John T., an honored official in the National Museum at Washington, and George W., who was educated in the public schools of the District of Columbia, and with a course of business training at Duff's Commercial College at Pittsburg, Pa. Later he worked in the glass factories at Pittsburg, making good wages, although he was but fifteen years old, and learned the painter's trade, at which he worked for five years. He then joined the U. S. signal service, and after passing through its school of instruction he was stationed successively at Pittsburg, Washington, Philadelphia, New York, Duluth, Bismarck, N. D.; Fort Bennett and Deadwood, S. D., where he quit the service and engaged in the photograph business in 1883. He passed four years in the business in that city, and then reentering the signal service was stationed at Omaha for seven months and thereafter at Deadwood until that station was abandoned in 1888, when he was sent to Bismarck, then to Fort Yates, N. D., for three years, and from there in 1891 to reopen the abandoned station at Yankton and take charge of the weather bureau at that place, where he remained three years, going thence to Des Moines, Iowa, for a short time and finally in 1894 coming to Lander as the head of the bureau of that brisk young city. Soon after coming here he started a photographic business and leased the telegraph line and has conducted both of these establishments almost continuously since then. He has the only photograph gallery for the patronage of Lander and many miles of adjacent territory, and by his skill and attention to business has secured a large and profitable trade. He is a progressive and enterprising man, earnestly devoted to the welfare of his country, and finding its best security in the proper administration of local affairs, in these he takes great interest. He is president of the city board of education, an officer in the National Guard of the state, being the captain of Co. B, and the popular observer of the Lander weather bureau. He belongs to the Ancient Order of United Workmen in Yankton and to the Woodmen of the World in Lander. On January 12, 1885, he was married at Deadwood with Miss Kittie A. Wilson, a daughter of James A. and Sarah M. (Edwards) Wilson, natives of Michigan. They have five children, Lee E., George E., James, Ruth A. and Lew. Both parents are active members of the Methodist Episcopal church and Mr. Scott is a gentleman of property, a progressive and enlightened citizen, a faithful and capable official, an accomplished artist, the family being welcome additions to all social circles. His residence on Lincoln street is one of the comfortable and attractive homes of the town.
Source: "Progressive Men of Wyoming", pub. 1903
genealogytrails.com/wyo/fremont/fremontbios3.htm*https://homesteadgenealogy.com/2014/03/21/photograph-analysis-a-deadwood-mystery/
** From the image of the white man wearing the ghost shirt (see a post below), it's clear the tipi backdrop was still being used as late as 1890 and possibly 91; it may be that he didn't start using it until later than 1884. Another possibility, of course, is that he took the bulk of his 'Sioux' images during his time in the signal service - i.e. from 1887/88, when he was working from Bismarck, Fort Yates and Yankton and those with the hill backdrop are merely the relatively earlier images.The photo of Sitting Bull in the hat remains a contentious issue, because there are claims that it was taken by RL Kelly in 1883 when Sitting Bull stopped off in Pierre. It has been pointed out that the man in the photo looks considerably older than other photos of Sitting Bull from around this time and the Kelly photos of Indians that are existent are long shots, whereas this would fit with the series of portraits Scott made of various Lakota leaders. Moreover, press reports at the time of Kelly’s photograph state that Sitting Bull was wearing a white shirt. In this photo, he wears a hat, a Metis-style floral-beaded jacket and a plaid shirt. There was a claim that Sitting Bull never wore a hat until he received one from Buffalo Bill during their tour in 1885, but there is a report noting he wore a military hat decorated with feathers for a meeting with the staff at Fort Yates in 1881. My guess is that this is Scott's photo.
"COWAN'S AUCTIONS
with his Fort Yates, North Dakota, imprint. Title appears stamped in purple ink below image.
This documents one of the more curious incidents associated with the Ghost Dance period on the Standing Rock Reservation in North and South Dakota. In early November 1890, Agency police arrested Scarlet Woman (Waluta Winyan), wife of Bird Beak (Zintka Poga), for claiming to be the mother of the risen Christ. Agent McLaughlin, an ardent Catholic, was scandalized by her claim and had her hauled before the tribal court and Chief Judge John Grass. Widely reported in the press, her claims about the Ghost Dance alarmed both Agent McLaughlin and U.S. Army officials who saw it as portending an uprising which might be led by the renowned Sitting Bull, in whose camp Ghost Dancing was occurring. Four weeks after this news report, McLaughlin issued the order to arrest Sitting Bull, resulting in the chief’s assassination on December 15, 1890. In this portrait, apparently made just prior to or immediately after her appearance before the tribal court, Scarlet Woman is seated in a chair placed outside behind a building at the Agency.
The rocks piled at the right have been used in a sweatlodge ceremony, one of the seven sacred rites of the Lakota People. They would be heated red-hot in a fire, carried into the low, covered structure, and then water dashed on them to produce a cleansing steam. The deer antlers were used to manipulate the hot rocks. This is an indication that the adjacent building may have been the tribal courthouse, for the Sioux officials would traditionally have purified themselves before sitting in judgement.
George W. Scott Cabinet Card of the Mother of Messiah,
Lot #: 398"
www.bidsquare.com/l/524/geo-w-scott-autograph-letter-and-american-indian-cabinet-cardsTo start off, here is what I have of the 'portrait' series:
Hairy Chin
Big Head
Wolf Necklace
John Grass
"Mrs Two Bear"
Mad Bear
Rain in the Face
Sitting Bull
Unidentified
Unidentified
Unidentified
"Mrs Pretty Bird"
Paul Elk
White Bull, the Sans Arc - a Scott photo despite the mount; in fact, isn't it a cropped but enlarged version of Scott's full-length image?
Running Antelope. Is this a Scott? The fact his name isn't listed with the other notables makes me doubt it.
More tomorrow...