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Post by jinlian on Jul 1, 2008 16:30:30 GMT -5
Found this portrait of Red Tomahawk as an old man- apologize if it has already been posted elsewhere.
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Post by jinlian on Jul 1, 2008 4:30:40 GMT -5
The man in the second picture is indeed Rosebud agent Libbeus Foster Spencer (see the picture in this web page: www.westsidenewsonline.com/OldSite/westside/news/2003/0728/features/descendant.html)As for the third picture, sitting in the middle row 3rd, 4th and 5th from left are Reverend William Cleveland, Richard H. Pratt and John W. Wright, members of the Pratt commission in charge of explaining the infamous Sioux bill to the Lakotas. As for Natives, I agree with your identifications; about the second picture, the Indian standing second from right looks a little bit like Yellow Hair, but I'm not 100%sure. I'll try to post a high-resolution scan of the 1888 delegation tonight, maybe it can help with the identifications.
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Post by jinlian on Jun 17, 2008 3:00:25 GMT -5
Thanks, Diane, it's very sweet of you!
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Post by jinlian on Jun 14, 2008 3:48:31 GMT -5
Very interesting picture - I suppose it was taken earlier than 1900, as Red Cloud apparently doesn't show evident signs of physical feebleness. Late 1880s - early 1890s, maybe?
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Post by jinlian on Jun 13, 2008 12:19:16 GMT -5
If you look at that photo of Cody with the chiefs after Wounded Knee, he is either unusually tall or he has been deliberately positioned with smaller Indians so he appears more dominant. Or it's his high-heeled boots. The perspective may have a lot to answer for, but Rocky Bear looks smaller than Cody whereas elsewhere, he doesn't. On top of that, the image was sold on the basis that it contained the vanquished Ghost Dance leaders in the shadow, if you like of Cody. Of course, neither Kicking Bear or Short Bull are there. Yes, I'm with you in this take - Rocky Bear, who was indeed taller than Cody (see the picture of Cody with the Lakota and Pawnee performer of the WW) was probably intentionally positioned in the background so that it wouldn't result "towering" on Buffalo Bill and American Horse, himself as tall as Cody, and another unidentified Indian were made crouch in front of him. On the other hand, the Indians in this particular picture, are almost all dressed in "citizen" clothes, and I'm not sure if they could look "savage" or "hostile" to contemporary eyes...All this is, of course, mere speculation but, as you said, it is quite interesting and challenging.
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Post by jinlian on Jun 13, 2008 12:03:20 GMT -5
And, since we're speaking of Red Cloud's photographs, here are two less known ones, not included in Goodyear's book: Both photographs were taken in the 1880s, I think - the first in particular is interesting, as it should be the first picture of Red Cloud and his son together.
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Post by jinlian on Jun 12, 2008 5:49:02 GMT -5
Red Cloud, Charles Jordan and interpreter, 1882Red Cloud and Charles Jordan, 1889Red Cloud, Buffalo Bill and American Horse, 1897 - also note that Cody's horse may seem bigger because of the perspective distortionRed Cloud and American Horse, 1891
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Post by jinlian on Jun 12, 2008 4:59:15 GMT -5
Hi Grahame, and thanks for sharing this extensive and detailed review of Goodyear's Red Cloud, a book I love and still enjoy reading after 2 years.
While I agree with you about Goodyear's sometimes inferential interpretation of the photographs'details, I was wondering about how reading the two 1889 portraits of Red Cloud and Charles Jordan. From what I've seen, also comparing other pictures of Red Cloud himself and other Indian chiefs, I haven't perceived the intention of showing the dominance of whites on Indians. My personal idea, considering also an earlier photographs of Red Cloud and Jordan (together with an interpreter, 1882) was that the photographer was trying to "compensate" Jordan's smaller size (compared with that of the Oglala chief) by having him standing. In the 1882 picture Jordan looked really small near Red Cloud...
About the 1897 picture taken at the Madison Square Garden with Buffalo Bill, I also noticed that Red Cloud was riding a horse smaller than Cody's, but it was also smaller than American Horse's. In my own thinking, this was due to Red Cloud's age and declining health ( smaller mounts should be easier to control) - what do you think?
Last, in the 1891 Grabill portrait of American Horse and Red Cloud, the headdress worn by the latter has always sounded "artificial" to me, i.e. as it was requested by the photographer, and not put on spontanously by Red Cloud. Also, since Grabill took this and other pictures only a few weeks after Wounded Knee, I serious doubt that this item belonged in fact to Red Cloud, whose house was ransacked after he was abduct by Two Strike's band and led to the Ghost Dancers' camp. My idea is that both chief were wearing the only clothes they could get at the time (obviously the ones issued by the agency - it shouldn't be forgotten that American Horse's house too was ransacked by the Ghost Dancers and he most probably had no Indian regalia to show off at the time) and that Grabill insisted on Red Cloud wearing a headdress in order to show the "Indianness" of the last great chief of the Lakotas.
I'll try to post the pictures we're talking of later, so that other people not familiar with Goodyear's book may get an idea.
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Post by jinlian on Jun 6, 2008 14:21:35 GMT -5
It was indeed a good auction, as far as photographs of members of the American Horse family are concerned. Here's another item sold today: featuring indeed Charles American Horse (b. 1881) - for identification, just compare the above picture with this one by Gertrude Kasebier:
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Post by jinlian on Jun 6, 2008 12:59:54 GMT -5
Just sold for 225$. I shouldn't have advertised it... The younger woman it's obviously the same photographed in 1907 by Curtis: She's probably either Sophie American Horse (b. 1878) or Alice American Horse (b. 1880)
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Post by jinlian on Jun 5, 2008 17:19:56 GMT -5
Hi Diane, I've uploaded the picture on a hosting service and posted the new link - does the picture appear now? (btw, I've checked on Cowans, and the photograph is still there and hasn't been sold yet ) Thanks for your assistance! Jin
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Post by jinlian on Jun 5, 2008 14:07:43 GMT -5
Hi Crzhrs,
many of American Horse's children graduated at Carlisle Indian School, so I don't know if they felt more at ease wearing American of traditional Lakota clothes...but probably they felt the drama of being caught between two cultures, as Robert Utley noted in his article about Plenty Horses, the slayer of Lieutenant Casey. It's also remarkable that in the family portrait the only woman wearing American clothes is AH's daughter - the three wives (first row) and his son's wife (Dietmar posted her and her husband's photographs in the American Horse thread at the LBH board) all are in traditional attire.
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Post by jinlian on Jun 5, 2008 12:15:34 GMT -5
Yes, Grahame...the estimated price is 50-100$. I wonder if another label providing identification would "help" rising the price... ;D
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Post by jinlian on Jun 5, 2008 9:12:49 GMT -5
The picture below is now on sale at Cowan's (labeled as "Silver gelatin of Sioux women and young boy") : No identification is provided, but, comparing the picture above with the American Horse's family portrait (1900 or so) , the two women look just like AH's second wife (at his right) and daughter (second row, dressed in black): The woman, one of American Horse's wives, was photographed with him at the Omaha Trans-Mississippi: Looking at the two women, I assume that the Cowan photograph was taken in the first years of the 20th century; I wonder where and by whom...
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Post by jinlian on Jun 4, 2008 2:22:21 GMT -5
I've never heard about the Gordon dictionary - thank you so much! I was aware of a small dictionary published in 1889 by the Bureau of American Ethnology, but, as far as I know, has never been printed by any commercial press...
I'll try to contact the Bilingual Material Development Center - noticed that most of their publications date back to the 80s. I hope they're still active...
Thanks again,
Jin
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