Featured Help with 2 NA Cabinet Cards ca. 1880s

Computerless friend found these two cabinet cards hiding behind unremarkable family images in a fab celluloid album. North Carolina yard sale -- seller didn't even know they were in there. Family had several old NA baskets which they would not sell, and some newer ones, which he purchased so we're thinking some sort of connection.

No ID on cards other than the studio, which was apparently active in the 1880s based on another image I found. Ceremonial garb? Tribe? How to ID them? Thanks!

 

Were they both from the same studio? I only see the studio logo on one of them.

Interesting... since the studio on the one was in Chicago, I'm guessing that the tribe would be from that area.

Here is a little bit of historical information on Native Americans in Chicago.
http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/874.html

 

Some Chicago-based Native American places and associations. These are mostly focused on the present day but also have historical exhibits --

American Indian Association of Illinois:
http://www.chicago-american-indian-edu.org/index.html

American Indian Center:
http://aic-chicago.org/aic-history/

Mitchell Museum of the American Indian (in Evanston, just north of Chicago):
http://www.mitchellmuseum.org/

 

Only one card marked. I especially like the image with that iron work fence! Thanks for the links fig, much appreciated.

 

Those are two very different costumes from very different places.
Strange time for 1st nations in the late 1800's.....some good , some bad.
Here r some thoughts....

1. Plains Indian , half Americanized costume.The leggings and beaded mocs speak to me of Sioux , but the shirt and vest say Sioux on the RESERVE.

2. Those are Iroquois mocs, & what looks like a womans Iroquois headdress. The beaded buckskin jacket & pants say Great Lakes....or east of that, but the shirt with it's flags & bird again speak of the Iroquois style of whimsy design.
The rifle with it's ring for mounted cavalry ...looks like a prop.

That's one handsome man, but I can't say for sure he's native , although the Iroquois bred successfully with the white man well before this photo, and I know several who are as handsome as he is.
That said many of these studio photo's were staged .

The 1st pic....that does indeed look like a Plains Brave.

 

Found a list of Chicago Photographers from 1947 thru 1900.....In that grouping were the only years Wahlstedt was shown.....that I could find.....

"Wahlstedt & Co«(see also
Wahlstedtj Matilda)
1892-93 - 27I+ S. Halsted

1894 = 27^4- S„ Halsted

(Wohlstedtp 2 listings)

1895 - not listed

Wahlstedt, Matilda(see also
Wahlstedt & Co. )

1885 = 1 Blue Island

1886 = not listed
1887-91 - 1 Blue Island
1892 - 78 Wesson
1893-9^ ■= not listed

1895 - 27i4. S. Halsted"

 

Thanks so much, more than I could have hoped for -- Komokwa, just amazing info!

 

Wow, those are amazing photos. What a find!

 

Awesome find.

Edward Curtis traveled throughout the country photographing Native Americans. It was later discovered that he carried trunks with regalia and costumes and used them on multiple subjects regardless of tribal affiliation, so some of his photos aren't accurate in that respect. What he did was valuable, but not totally historically accurate. Neither of these give credit to him, so they may not be his and he wasn't the only photographer doing that. I'm just saying that you have to be aware of that.

The other photographs I've seen posed like these were from the wild west shows during that era. The eagle and crossed flags on one are similar to some of the beadwork on costumes worn in Wild Bill's shows.

 

I'm not sure how many Iroquois were in any Wild West shows, but they didn't spare the eagle & flags in their turn of the century bead work designs.

 

Gee, komo, you are good! Thank you for the detailed explanation. I did look around for other examples finding what you IDed as Iroquois. I did find online at the McCord Museum of Canadian History the mention of one of this style of headdress described as a "Man or woman's headdress;" however, like you said, most if not 95% of the pics online show these beaded headbands resembling tiaras in shape on women.
http://www.museevirtuel.ca/edu/View...811D9680D7B14?method=preview&lang=EN&id=11105

The following website has a series or CDVs of Iroquois related Native Americans (Senecas, Mohawks,...) in their traditional dress from the late 1800s to early 1900's. They seem to be Iroquois medicine men with their families working for different medicine companies such as or the Kickapoo Medicine Company, entertainers, etc... No doubt most are staged, but their dress seems realistic. Some have a man holding a rifle. Note the headdress of some of the women with the embroided/beaded bands.
http://iroquoisbeadwork.blogspot.com/2013/01/iroquois-medicine-men.html

--- Susan

 

Thank you Komo for saying what was in my mind......just about one looking like an authentic NA and the second....not so much......just didn't feel 'right'.....although the eyes left me wondering, but the rest of him didn't!

 

While he reminds me a little of Stacy Keach..


..I 1st though of him looking like this guy.....Patrick Brazeau..



who is only only an Algoquin Indian....but also a Canadian Senator !

( oh, and our Senators are not like yours.......here he's charity boxing with our soon to be Prime Minister..!!! )




All this to say, it's hard to tell just from a face, where a guy comes from.....!

 

So much information and so many links and comments! I am so grateful for all of it....

Here is an image that shows one of those wonky head dresses on a Tuscarora, part of the Iroquois, which also features that beadwork that Komo showed. Perhaps I was partial to this since my kids went to the Tuscarora Jurnior High School and we lived by the Tuscarora Creek (Juniata County, PA).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuscarora_Reservation#/media/File:Chief_pelers_tuscarora_tribe.jpg