September 2018 Auction Ends Thursday, September 27th, 5pm Pacific
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 9/27/2018
Comprehensive set of albumen photographs immediately following the Wounded Knee massacre, in which the 7th U.S. Cavalry killed over 150 people of the Lakota tribe on the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota, including their leader Spotted Elk. This exceptional photo album includes 52 photographs, many never before published, taken in late December 1890 and early January 1891, just days after the massacre, as well as some taken in June and July of 1891. Almost all the December-January photographs were taken by George Trager, owner of the Northwestern Photo Co. of Chadron, Nebraska, whose employee, Clarence Moreledge captured the summer 1891 images.
Harrowing images are included here such as the clenched fist photo of Spotted Elk (also named Big Foot by the U.S. government) lying dead on the ground; the mass grave entitled ''Bureal [sic] of the Dead at the Battle Field of Wounded Knee S.D.''; ''Gathering up the Dead of the Battle Field at Wounded Knee S.D.'' where bodies are piled in a horse-drawn carriage; scenes of the dead on the frozen ground in a photo simply described ''Battle Field''; ''Birds Eeye [sic] View of Battle Field at Wounded Knee S.D. looking North''; and ''Birds Eye View of 7th Cav Camp at Wounded Knee S.D. before the Fight With Chief Big Foots Band Dec 29th 1891'', taken one day before the tragedy.
Other photographs include a poignant image of a Lakota mother with her small children sitting outside their tipi, as well as images of young children of the U.S. military; ''Leaders of the Hostile Indians'' showing Chief Two Strike, Chief Crow Dog and Chief High Hawk; ''Two Strike and Crow Dogs Camp''; Several Chiefs posing with Major John Burke; a portrait of Sitting Bull, whose killing precipitated events leading up to the battle; Ogallala Indian Scouts; the 7th U.S. Cavalry in formation on horseback; General Nelson Miles surveying the carnage with Buffalo Bill Cody (Miles estimated the death toll at 300 people); ''Disarming Hostile Indians / Pine Ridge Agcy S.D.''; ''Grand Council Between Friendly and Hostile Indian Chiefs where Peace was declared - Pine Ridge Agcy S.D.'' copyrighted on 15 January 1891; ''Chief Fast Thunder's Camp''; ''Red Cloud's Home''; ''Capt. Taylor's Noted Indian Scouts''; ''A Sioux Graveyard'' of coffins strewn on the ground; and ''Ogallala Indian Training School / Pine Ridge Agency, S.D.''
Other images, mostly taken in the summer of 1891 show the Lakota and Sioux tribes performing the Scalp Dance and Omaha Dance; '''Katalla Wa-chee-pee', a squaw dance, at P.R. Agency, S.D.''; several photos dated July 4 including ''After the 'Barbe''' and ''A Sioux Camp''; ''Sioux Indians, gathering or the 'Beef Issue'''; and three mean attending to a fallen horse.
Forty-eight of the images measure 7'' x 4.25'' and four measure 3.75'' x 5.25'', all mounted on album mats measuring 10'' x 7''. Photos are in generally very good condition, a few with abrasions and some with dampstaining and light soiling, mostly confined to the mat boards. Stamps appearing on the pastedowns of the photo album attribute the photos to a Frank E. Pilbeam of Hermosa, South Dakota and Lansing, Michigan; however, it appears that Pilbeam owned a carnival in the Lansing area, where these photos were likely shown, and that he didn't take the photos himself. Most images are indeed copyrighted to ''N.W. Photo Co. Chadron, Neb.'' A visually stark testimony of the history of the Lakota people of the Dakotas.
All the photos can be seen here:
Wounded Knee Photo Album
52 Photographs of the Wounded Knee Massacre and Its Aftermath -- The Most Comprehensive Photo Album of the Massacre With Many Unpublished Photos
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