Sitting Bull in hat

[grahamew]

I agree, but I would date it later. I've seen a reference to Kelly photographing him (which I can no longer find) and it mentions Sitting Bull wearing a white shirt, maybe not for the photo but just before, so it seems unlikely he's change into the gear he's wearing just for the photo.

[Californian]

thank you Grahamew - I personally don't think the image is by Kelly but indeed by George W. Scott and I have to agree with you that my presumed date is likely off, this portrait definitely appears to depict Sitting Bull markedly aged, tired looking, if not demoralized looking. In the series of portraits by William Notman & Son dated August 1885 he does look somewhat tired and also a bit emaciated. In the "hat" picture his facial features are rounder/filled. Would anyone know the actual years George W. Scott worked at Fort Yates ? I do own a print by him depicting a man named Running Water
- on the reverse the date 1883 is penciled (presumably added at a later date), but it has that similar pose/look/appearance/feel as the Sitting Bull image with the hat. Please see below. 

[grahamew]

"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, Bismark, 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 Bismark, 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."

Read more: amertribes.proboards.com/thread/1339/george-scott?page=1#ixzz5V1P1FL7t

Of course, he could have been selling earlier photos with the Fort Yates imprint on them...

[Californian]

I have to correct myself pertaining to my statement from October 2018 - yesterday (2nd October 2019) browsing through Bonham Auctions catalogs I came across this image on Frank Fiske cardstock, clearly a reprint from around 1900 and on the reverse side, in Fiske's own handwriting about which I am quite familiar, it gives the date when this photograph was supposedly taken, being November 1889.

Now, having a good look at Sitting Bull in this portrait - his facial appearance is pronounced aged - if not tired looking, even gives a sense of being sad, demoralized. That would likely fit Sitting Bull's state of mind at the end of 1889. Also he is dressed in warm clothing which would give a clue about the time of the year. Frank Fiske of course is known to have taken over the photographer's studio at Fort Yates around 1900 and he would have most likely taken over the glass plates from his predecessors (Fansler and previously Scott) and thus would have had primary source access or knowledge of when that particular portrait would have been taken.

 

[grahamew]

Great stuff. I'm still going for Scott too.

[gregor]

There is much controversial discussion with regard to the „Butterfly“ photograph. Maybe we will never know who took it.

Early May 1883 the 158 “Fort Randall” Hunkpapas boarded the steamer "W. J. Behan ". And after a first stopover in Chamberlain (May 4) and another in Pierre (May 5), they arrived at Fort Yates on May 10, 1883.

The image is attributed to Robert L. Kelly and was allegedly shot during the stopover in Pierre in May, 1883. Other sources attribute this photograph to George W. Scott, in Yankton and later in Fort Yates, where he ran photo studios. It is known that Scott created similar photos of other Standing Rock personalities. But they were all created in 1885. Furthermore the picture was also distributed by Zalman Gilbert and DeLancey W. Gill.

Kelly and Scott are shadowy persons.

This is what I have on Scott:
Scott worked full time as a "signal officer" for the U.S. government. In the 1880s and 1890s, he directed telegraph offices in Deadwood, Cheyenne River, Bismarck, and Yankton. From 1883 he seems to have worked part-time as a photographer. In July 1883 he opened a Gallery in Deadwood, which he sold in 1884/85. From 1887/88 we find Scott at Fort Yates, where he again runs a photography studio. In 1891 Scott was transferred to Yankton (South Dakota), where he led a government weather bureau.

[Californian]

a belated thanks to you, Gregor and sorry for taking my time to respond. I have a strong feeling that it is a Scott image. I will do some more research into Scott to shed some light on him life. I will a follow up comment in due time.