| | | Alexander Gardner
Ogallalla Sioux
(May, 1872)
There are very few known copies of this series by Alexander Gardner (1821-1882) and the number of albumen prints included seems to vary. The front cover of this volume is entitled simply "Ogallalla Sioux". However, a copy of the series came up for auction at Sotheby‘s Sale of "The Frank T. Siebert Library of the North American Indian and the American Frontier" collection in New York on October 28, 1999 which had the fuller title:
Photographs of Red Cloud and Principal Chiefs of Dacotah Indians Taken on Their Visit to Washington, D.C., May, 1872 Washington D.C.: for Trustees of Blackmore Museum, Salisbury, England, [Gibson Brothers, Printers, 1872]
The volume has a rather intriguing history that is worthy of note. William Henry Blackmore was an English financier, philanthropist and founder of the Blackmore Museum in Salisbury (Wiltshire, UK). His commercial interests in the United States included mining ventures, railways and land speculation that brought him into contact with Native Americans. Blackmore developed a passionate interest in Native American cultures and realized the importance of documenting their societies.. Accordingly, he commissioned noted Civil War photographer, Alexander Gardner, to photograph Native American delegations visiting Washington D.C. This portfolio, Ogallalla Sioux, records the delegation of Red Cloud (Mahpíya Lúta), who visited Washington, DC from May 25 to June 3, 1872. Gardner took this series and in one of the photographs (not included in this volume) Red Cloud is seated with a standing William Blackmore shaking his hand in respect and friendship.
Soon afterwards Blackmore financed and then accompanied Ferdinand V. Hayden on his 1872 survey expedition of the Yellowstone region. Early in the summer of 1872, Mary Blackmore contracted pneumonia and died in Bozeman, Montana. Hayden named Mt. Blackmore in her honor.
The encroachments on Indian lands resulted in increasing hostilities, and only four years later General George Custer (1839-1876) would lead his forces into the Black Hills of Dakota to resounding defeat. Red Cloud was a well known chief but he did not join Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull in their ill-fated attempts to protect their rights.
List of plates in this copy of the portfolio
01 Red Cloud
01 Red Cloud b
02 Red Dog
02 Red Dog b
03 Lone Wolf
03 Lone Wolf b
04 Ear of Corn
05 Big Foot
05 Big Foot b
06 White Hawk
06 White Hawk b
07 One Afraid of the Eagle
07 One Afraid of the Eagle b
08 Blue Horse
09 Stabber
10 Dirt Face
11 Good Buffalo
11 Good Buffalo b
12 Poor Elk
12 Poor Elk b
13 Two Elks
13 Two Elks b
15 Cayote
16 Hard Heart
16 Hard Heart b
17 Slow Bull
17 Slow Bull b
A copy of this work at the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale Univeristy [Zc16D1 +872ga] includes a photograph of a seated Red Cloud shaking hands with a standing William Henry Blackmore.
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