Two Native American men sit side by side against a plain studio backdrop in this full-length carte de visite. The man at left wears a broad-brimmed hat, dark buttoned vest, large circular ornaments, broad forearm bands, fringed leggings, and moccasins. His companion wears a light shirt and several strands of neck ornaments. Both have braided hair, and long-stemmed objects rest across their laps.
The reverse credits “PHOTOGRAPHED BY / W. R. CROSS, / Niobrara, Neb.” The accompanying advertisement lists Bad Land scenery, military forts and Indian schools on the Missouri River, and views along the Sioux City and Pacific or Elk Horn Valley railroad in Nebraska. This is a photographer’s advertisement rather than a caption identifying the portrait.
The sitting was made at Cross’s studio in Niobrara, Nebraska, named on the backmark. Neither man is named, their tribal affiliations are not recorded, and the card supplies no date or view title. The photograph is mounted on a cream card with rounded corners.
- Medium
- CDV
- Subject
- Native American
- Dimensions
- 2.47 × 4.13 in (62.8 × 104.8 mm)
- Condition
- Mottled staining on the reverse, where portions of the printed backmark are faint. The photograph and mount are otherwise sound, with no visible cracks or substantial losses.
- Catalogue no.
- MCDV908
Catalogue details
Location
Niobrara, Neb · Niobrara, Nebraska, United States
Photographer's studio address — not the scene · Locality (town) · 15% confidence
photographer's town only (“Niobrara, Neb.”) — not where the scene was taken. Looked up as "Niobrara, Neb" → Niobrara, Niobrara, NE 68760, USA. Order tried: photographer-town: "Niobrara, Neb" → city ✓.
Source: Photographer's imprint (town only)
