David H. Anderson and the Wild West Show in New York, 1886

[grahamew]

David H.Anderson was a pioneer American photographer who made his first daguerreotype in Paducah, Kentucky in 1855. He later worked in Cincinnati and Dayton, New Orleans, Louisville and various other cities until he settled in Richmond, Virginia in 1865 where he operated a successful studio. In 1879, he sold up and moved to 785 Broadway in New York from 1881, operating in Matthew Brady's former studio, where he became well known for his photographs of the celebrities of the day.
cabinetcardgallery.com/category/photographer-anderson-new-york/

"In New York Anderson sought to demonstrate his currency with the latest developments. He was one of the first adopters of Charles Bennett’s gelatin dry plate (announced in 1878), a process that required very little exposure time to secure an excellent picture. Anderson, along with Kurtz, was one of the first "instantaneous" commercial portraitists in the city. When the orthochromatic plates became available in 1889, Anderson prophesied correctly that they would supplant the gelatin bromide dry plates among professionals...

" In 1901 he followed the migration of studios to Fifth Avenue, occupying 251. He was at that time the oldest active photographer in New York City and the sole operator who had begun his career in the Daguerreotype era. He remained an active photographer until weeks before his death in 1905."
broadway.library.sc.edu/content/david-h-anderson.html

In 1886, he took many photographs - more than I initially thought - of Cody's Pawnee and Lakota Wild West Show performers when they were based on Staten Island. A different photographer, Napoleon Sarony took photographs of the performers in the village on Staten Island.

See also: www.nypl.org/blog/2016/09/23/clone-found-staten-island-stories-3-buffalo-bills-wild-west-mariners-harbor-1886-and


L-R Brave Chief, Eagle Chief, Knife Chief, Young Chief, Cody, American Horse, Rocky Bear, Flies Above and Long Wolf

It's interesting to see how Cody, at 6'1" or 2" and in heels is slightly smaller than Rocky Bear, but in the post-Wounded Knee photos of the various leaders, he towers above hiom - standing on a box, probably. Comparting tjose two photos, it's also interesting to see how much Cody has aged in such a short space of time.


A slight variant on the above. Look at the angle of Long Wolf, Cody and American Horse's faces, for example.


The same group, but with Sgt, Bates in the centre. You'll note that there has been some change of clothing


The same group minus Sgt. Bates. Note the clothing (Long Wolf's, for example) is the same as in the Bates photo not the Cody one.


Lakota performers - Flies Above standing second from left; Yellow Horse (John Nelson's son), standing second from right


Interpreter Antoine Provost with a group of Lakota


Pawnee group


John Nelson and family L-R: James, Thomas, Jenny (Yellow Elk Woman), John Y. Sr., Rose (in front), Julie, and John Y. Jr. (Yellow Horse), wearing headdress -same one as American Horse?


A variant on the above. Unless I'm mistaken, Yellow Horse wears a beaded vest under his otter fur collar. This group of photographs might just be the earliest  I've seen of vests actually being worn, before they became far more common later in the decade.


Long Wolf, wearing yet another shirt, with his family




Long Wolf's wife and baby


Long Wolf's daughter, Lizzie








Julie Nelson and Sgt. Bates











Long Wolf


Eagle Chief - Pawnee, not Comanche. It wasn't unusual for the Wild West Show to claim people belonged to tribes other than their own in order to con the public into thinking more tribes took part than actually did.






Note that he appears to be wearing the same bonnet as American Horse in the first photo


Unidentified, but possibly wearing the same bonnet as Rocky Bear


Cheyenne man - or is this another case of attributing different tribal identity to an Oglala to make it seem the show featured more tribes...?


Note the different backdrop


American Horse


Broncho Bill Irving, his Lakota wife, Ellie, and son Bennie


Bennie Irving


Ellie Irving and son Benny. Note, again, the beaded vest


Antoine Provost


Jennie Provost, wife of Antoine

Any more...?

[Dietmar]

Thanks for compiling these Anderson photos, Grahame. I always hope, there could be more portraits of the 1886 Lakota & Pawnee performers out there.

Here is one, identified allegedly as a Kiowa (by the auction site), but perhaps another member of the 1886 tour:

[Dietmar]

... some minor corrections:



The man standing second from right is not Yellow Horse, but rather Little Chief. Kneeling at left could be Black Hawk, who again toured with Cody in 1889/1890.




Although identified above as Eagle Chief, the man far left is Roaming Chief (sometimes spelled Roan Chief), a Pawnee.


Therefore the identifications for this picture are:


Eagle Chief, Roaming Chief, Knife Chief, Young Chief (all Pawnee), William F. Cody, American Horse, Rocky Bear, Flies Above, Long Wolf (all Lakota)

[Californian]

Thanks for sharing these images Grahame, I was not aware of the large number that exist. I cannot avoid thinking about what might have been going through the minds of these people, the free roaming days were not that far in the past - they must have felt like in a parallel universe while being in these large eastern cities, the vast crowds, the overwhelming architecture, the stench and filth and all that came with it.

[grahamew]

Thanks. Here's a photo of performers with Cody in Montreal, 1885, taken by Notman. Interesting to note that they're wearing the same banded shirts the Pawnee wear in the Anderson group photo above:

[grahamew]

Here's a variant on one of the images posted above:



And a better version of the group image with Cody directly facing the camera:

[Dietmar]

I agree that the men in the Notman photo further above are most likely Pawnee. They were hired by Cody in 1885 and 1886, as in a couple of years before. I think 1886 was the last time, thereafter he exclusively toured with Lakota as performers.

[Dietmar]

Interesting to see, that this man (the auction site called him Lone Bear) who was photographed by Anderson in 1886...



...was also portraited by Enrico Gabrielli in London:

[Dietmar]

Wolfgang has sent me this picture of Long Wolf:



Thanks, Wolfgang!

[grahamew]

Thanks. Does me make wonder how many variants were taken

[grahamew]

Some more...


Young Chief


Brave Chief


American Horse's wife


Julie Nelson


Julie Nelson


Broncho Bill Irving, his Lakota wife, Ellie, and son Bennie

[Californian]

superb quality, Grahame, thanks for sharing these portraits

[grahamew]

Dietmar has just pointed me in the direction of a treasure trove of Anderson photos. Unfortunately, they've been mounted on card and several are in a poor condition, but it gives an indication of what else is out there. Some of the images below may have been taken at Napoleon Sarony's studio in New York.

Let's start with the best first:

Although it says, "Sgt. Bates and Redman," this is Sergeant Bates and Black Elk




These two show John Nelson's son, though surely not Thomas


Yellow Horse rather than Yellow Hand


American Horse and family. Note there seem to be two beaded buckskin dresses in the photos, shared among the women. I think the young boy here is wearing a man's vest backwards and pulled down over his shoulders


American Horse's wife and son, Charlie


Charlie/Charles American Horse, who would be photographed by Gertrude Käsebier when he was with Cody's Wild West Show, circa 1898


American Horse's wife


Bennie Irving, son of Bronco Bil Irving and his Lakota wife, Ellie




As above




Unidentified 


Unidentified


High Eagle


Unidentified - although is this the man Dietnar identified as Black Hawk in a post above?


Ellie Irving


As above


Lizzie Long Wolf - wearing the same dress as Ellie Irving


Long Wolf's wife and two of their children


Knife Chief


Rosie Nelson


As above


Antoine Provost


Jennie Provost


Gabriel Dumont


As above

[Dietmar]

Thank you for posting these, Grahame!

Although named Yellow Hand here, this man was known as Ghost Dog (sometimes Dog's Ghost) or later John Ghost Dog:



Ghost Dog was with Buffalo Bill's Wild West in 1886 and 1887 and would be a show veteran in many following years.



I got this man as Black Hawk earlier... but very likely this is the wrong name:

[Dietmar]

Mmmh, I will think about this a while... but I doubt he is Antoine Provost, although the inscription says 'Antoine'.