Collection documents Wild West Shows in Oklahoma and Washington, particularly the career of Lewis Frederick Foster who was known for his showmanship and skills.
Scope and Contents:
Consists of two scrapbook albums documenting the career of Lewis Frederick Foster. Materials also relate to western shows, rodeos, Buffalo Bill Cody, Pawnee Bill, and the 101 Ranch Wild West Show. Many other individual showmen, including American Indians, are also represented. Information in the collection indicates that Foster was an amateur photographer. It is unclear if the photographs are the work of Foster or if he assembled the album himself.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into one series.
Biographical / Historical:
Lewis Frederick Foster was born in Newton, Middlesex, Massachusetts to James Foster and Elizabeth T. Frederick on September 19, 1861. He married Leona [Rosamond] Stockman on September 30, 1890 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Fosters had one daughter Leona Rosamond born in 1897. Foster
performed on horseback in shows across the West including the Wild West Show in Oklahoma, the Frontier Show in Cheyenne, Washington, and the 101 Ranch Wild West Show. He was known as a 'Rough and Fancy Rider' and a 'Revolver Expert'. Foster died on March 4, 1924 at the age of sixty- two in Modesto, Stanislaus County, California and is buried in Acacia Memorial Park.
Related Materials:
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Archives Center Wild West Collection, NMAH.AC.1466
Warshaw Collection of Business Americana, NMAH.AC.0060
Sonora Carver Papers, NMAH.AC0.521
Provenance:
Donated to the Smithsonian Institution in 1933 by Foster's sister, Louise T. Foster, and his brother, John H. Foster.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
This collection includes 40 copy prints of David F. Barry photographs which had been held by David Barry's sister, Matie (Barry) Moore. These were later copied by her brother-in-law Herbert O. Petersen. The copy prints include many of Barry's most famous portraits of Lakota leaders from at the end of the 19th century such as Tatanka Iyotanka (Sitting Bull) [Hunkpapa Lakota (Hunkpapa Sioux)], Rain in the Face (Iromagaja/Ito-na-gaju/Ite-Mahazhu/I-Te-Amaghazhu/Exa-ma-gozua) [Hunkpapa Lakota (Hunkpapa Sioux)], and Chief Gall (Pizi) [Oglala Lakota (Oglala Sioux)], among others.
Scope and Contents:
This collection includes 40 copy prints of David F. Barry photographs which had been held by David Barry's sister, Matie Barry Moore. It is likely that some of the photographs were originally shot by Orlando Scott Goff and later attributed to Barry, who may have printed them at a later date. The studio portraits of Native leaders include—Tatanka Iyotanka (Sitting Bull) [Hunkpapa Lakota (Hunkpapa Sioux)], Rain in the Face (Iromagaja/Ito-na-gaju/Ite-Mahazhu/I-Te-Amaghazhu/Exa-ma-gozua) [Hunkpapa Lakota (Hunkpapa Sioux)], Chief Gall (Pizi) [Oglala Lakota (Oglala Sioux)], Chief John Grass (Charging Bear/Mato-Wata-Kpe/Pah-zhe/Matowatakpe/Pehzi/Pe-ji/Used As A Shield), [Sihasapa Lakota (Blackfoot Sioux)], Chief Joseph (Hinmuuttu-yalatlat [Thunder Rolling Down the Mountain]/In Mut Too Yah Lat Lat) [Niimíipuu (Nez Perce)], Chief Goose (Goos) [Ihanktonwan Nakota (Yankton Sioux)], Curley (Ashishishe) [Apsáalooke (Crow/Absaroke)], Red Cloud (Makhpiya-luta [Scarlet Cloud]/Mahpina Luta) [Oglala Lakota (Oglala Sioux)], Crow King (Kangi-yatapi/Ka-Ge-Tou-Cha) [Hunkpapa Lakota (Hunkpapa Sioux)], Chief Wild Horse [Oglala Lakota (Oglala Sioux)], and Good Horse with his wife [Hunkpapa Lakota (Hunkpapa Sioux)].
Additional non-Native portraits include—Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer, General F.W. Bentun, Captain Tom McDougal, Col. William F. Cody ("Buffalo Bill"), Matie Barry Moore, and Judge Kenshaw Landis. There are also a number of outdoor shots made in Dakota territory which include views of Sitting Bull's log cabin, Sitting Bull's camp, census taking on the Standing Rock reservation, Reno Crossing and Fort Lincoln in the snow. There is also an image of Barry's studio set up in Fort Buford. One image has been restricted due to cultural sensitivity.
Prints include catalog numbers P23561 - P23599.
Arrangement:
Arranged by catalog number.
Biographical / Historical:
David Frances Barry (1854-1934) was a photographer who is most noted for his photographs of famous Native American leaders at the end of the 19th century. Growing up in Columbus, Wisconsin, Barry was hired by photographer Orlando Scott Goff, with whom he eventually partnered. From 1878 to 1883, Barry traversed Dakota Territory and Montana making many of his most widely known photographs of Native American leaders, such as Sitting Bull, Rain in the Face, and Chief Gall, as well as photographing forts and battlefields, military officers, and other people in the region. In 1883, Barry opened a new studio in Bismarck, where he began photographing members of Cody's Wild West Show. In 1890, Barry returned to Wisconsin where he operated a successful gallery in the city of Superior until his death in 1934.
Barry's sister, Matie (Barry) Moore, retained a collection of photographs made by her brother which were eventually copied and donated to the National Museum of the American Indian.
Separated Materials:
A folder of newspaper clippings regarding the life and work of David F. Barry were donated by Herbert Petersen along with the photographic prints. These are in the Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation records (NMAI.AC.001) in Box 289, Folder 1.
Provenance:
Donated by Herbert O. Petersen, brother-in-law to Matie Barry Moore, in 1991. Matie Barry Moore was sister to the photographer David F. Barry.
Restrictions:
Access to NMAI Archives Center collections is by appointment only, Monday - Friday, 9:30 am - 4:30 pm. Please contact the archives to make an appointment (phone: 301-238-1400, email: nmaiarchives@si.edu).
Rights:
Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from National Museum of the American Indian Archives Center. Please submit a written request to nmaiphotos@si.edu. For personal or classroom use, users are invited to download, print, photocopy, and distribute the images that are available online without prior written permission, provided that the files are not modified in any way, the Smithsonian Institution copyright notice (where applicable) is included, and the source of the image is identified as the National Museum of the American Indian. For more information please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use and NMAI Archive Center's Digital Image request website.
Citation:
Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Matie Barry Moore collection of David F. Barry copy prints, image #, NMAI.AC.334; National Museum of the American Indian Archives Center, Smithsonian Institution.
The collection is largely composed of photographs depicting Plains Indians, many of whom took part in the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Depicted individuals include Young Man Afraid of His Horse, Low Dog, Good Horse, Clear Eyes, Rain in the Face, Crow Flies High, Trail Hunter, Sitting Bull, Crow King, Red Cloud, White Faces, Running Antelope, Red Girl, Curly, John Grass, Gall, Spotted Tail, and a group of Ghost Dancers. There are also images of Barry, General Custer, the horse Comanche, and Buffalo Bill.
Biographical/Historical note:
David Frances Barry (1854-1934) was a photographer based in Bismarck, Dakota Territory, who is most noted for his photographs of famous American Indians. In 1878, he was hired by itinerant photographer O. S. Goff, with whom he eventually partnered. From 1878 to 1883, Barry traversed the Dakota Territory, making many of his most widely known photographs of American Indians, forts and battlefields, military officers, and other people in the region. In 1883, Barry opened a new studio in Bismarck, where he began photographing members of Cody's Wild West Show.
Local Call Number(s):
NAA Photo Lot R81-71
Reproduction Note:
Copy prints made by Smithsonian Institution, 1981.
Location of Other Archival Materials:
Additional photographs by Barry, as well as originals of images in this collection, can be found in the National Anthropological Archives in Photo Lot 24, Photo Lot 80-18, Photo Lot 87-2P, Photo Lot 90-1, MS 4559, and the BAE historical negatives.
Restrictions:
The collection is open for research.
Access to the collection requires an appointment.
Rights:
This copy collection has been obtained for reference purposes only. Contact the repository for terms of use and access.
Biographical material; diaries; correspondence, financial material; notes; writings; art work; printed material; and photographs
REEL D30 (fr. 420, 521, 542): Three letters from Bruce Crane, 1930, mentioning his election to the Allied Artists of America, from Will Hicok Low, 1930, concerning Cole's election into an art organization, and from Chauncey Foster Ryder, 1921, saying "You may count on me."
REEL 420 (fr. 453-652): Letters written by Timothy Cole, 1885-1928, primarily to Alphaeus and to painter Edward Ertz of Sussex, England, discussing engraving, work for the CENTURY, World War I, and personal matters; a letter to Alphaeus from sculptor John Angel, 1946, discussing Alphaeus' portrait of him; a poem and notes for a speech by Timothy Cole; writings by Alphaeus describing his engraving techniques and his recollections of his father; printed material, including a program for a dinner honoring collector Alexander Wilson Drake, 1913, an address by Timothy to the National Arts Club, 1916, 11 exhibition catalogs for Timothy, 1927-1931, and for Alphaeus, 1922-1952, a catalog from the Grand Central School of Art, and a few clippings; and 2 photos of Alphaeus, ca. 1912 and 1970.
REEL 3481 (fr.467-700): 64 letters, 1910-1927, and 2 sonnets from his father Timothy Cole and a letter to his future daughter-in-law regarding her upcoming marriage to Alphaeus; a letter to Timothy Cole from Calvin Coolidge thanking him for an engraved bookplate; 12 letters to Cole, 1931-1964, from Maurice Bloch, Paul Bransom, A. B. Butts, Will H. Low, Hermann Dudley Murphy, Hudson Strode, R. P. Tolman, and Mahonri Young; a typescript of an article by Cole on Charles C. Curran; 2 photographs of Cole at work, and a photograph of 26 members of the National Academy of Design, ca. 1925, including 19 autographs on the mat; and miscellaneous printed material and writings.
REELS 4783-4791: Biographical accounts and documents; 70 diaries, 1889-1982, containing accounts of Cole's daily activities and 7 photographs; correspondence, 1891-1988, including letters from his father, Timothy Cole, and other family members, 2 notes from Jean Paul Laurens and Benjamin Constant, comments by Cole about his colleagues in 1901-1902, Solon Borglum, Joseph Pennell, Edward Steichen, and a Mr. Yeats, and a description of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, 1902; receipts for art expenses and doctor bills; 4 income tax returns, 1936-1980; an address book, ca. 1933; 6 notebooks on the German language, travels in Orvieto, religious symbols in art, and art history, 1889-1898;
writings by Cole and others, including poems to Eugene and Anita Higgins; prints and drawings by Cole, 1899-1958, including a self-portrait and a portrait drawing of Jean Paul Laurens; 2 prints by John W. Evans, 1935, and Keith Shaw Williams; 26 prints of religious paintings by Italian masters; printed material, including clippings, exhibition catalogs for others, reproductions of art work, material concerning Anita Rio, a postcard album, 1901-1934, and picture postcards, and miscellany; and photographs of Cole, Anita Rio, family, friends, models, residence, travels, art work by Cole and others, and gallery installations.
Biographical / Historical:
Painter, portrait painter; New York, N.Y. Born in New Jersey, Cole was the son of wood engraver Timothy Cole. After studying under Isaac Craig in Italy, he began studies at the Academie Julian in 1892, under Jean Paul Laurens and Benjamin Constant. His painting of Dante was exhibited in the Paris Salon of 1900. He moved to England and married sculptress Margaret Ward Walmsley in 1903. They moved to the United States in 1911, where Cole joined the Salmagundi Club, 1918, and served as president of the New York Water Color Club from 1931 to 1941. He taught at Cooper Union, 1924-1931, and was elected a National Academician in 1941. A widower in 1962, Cole married Anita Rio, the widow of painter Eugene Higgins.
Provenance:
Material on reel D30 donated 1955-1962 by Charles E. Feinberg, an active donor and friend of the Archives of American Art. Material on reels 420, 3481, and 4783-4791 donated 1965-1989 by Alphaeus Cole, in part through his nephew Orlando, and by his estate.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Microfilmed materials must be consulted on microfilm. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Occupation:
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Portrait painters -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Photographs collected by Marjorie Meriweather Post relating to NAtive Americans. They include images of Post's home at Camp Topridge, Geronimo, Buffalo Bill Cody, Native chiefs and US officials at Pine Ridge in 1891, and Princess Angeline, daughter of Chief Seattle. Additionally, there are lithographs of Caa-tou-see and Shin-Ga-Ba-Wossinis, and a B. Picart engraving of Native Americans circling a burial mound and a newspaper clipping ("Out of Human Skin") in a frame made from a squirrel pelt.
Biographical/Historical note:
Marjorie Meriweather Post (1887-1973) was a Washington, D.C., businesswoman, philanthropist, and collector of decorative art objects. Her father Charles W. Post was the owner of Postup Cereal Company, later General Foods Corporation. In 1973, Marjorie Post's philanthropy earned her the first ever James Smithson Society Medal, the Smithsonian Institution's highest benefactor award. After her death, Post willed her Hillwood estate to the Smithsonian along with her American Native American collection at Camp Topridge.
Local Call Number(s):
NAA Photo Lot 75-46
Location of Other Archival Materials:
The National Anthropological Archives holds the Marjorie Merriweather Post papers (MS 7278).
The Smithsonian Institution Archives holds the records of Post's Hillwood Estate, 1960-1976 (SIA RS00740).
Pikuni (Piegan) [Blackfeet Nation, Browning, Montana] Search this
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Photographs
Place:
Germany -- Bavaria -- Munich
Date:
bulk 1868-1926
Summary:
This collection consists of 38 photographic prints of Native and non-Native peoples involved with Buffalo Bill's Wild West show, primarily in the years 1890-1891.
Scope and Contents:
The Frank Lehner photographs of Buffalo Bill's Wild West show collection consists of 38 photographic prints (and 5 copy negatives created at a later date by the NMAI staff). The images portray Native and non-Native peoples involved with Buffalo Bill's Wild West show primarily in the years 1890-1891, and include a number of publicity and studio portrait shots. Notable photographs include King Ludwig III of Bavaria and his daughter, Princess Maria Ludwiga Theresia of Bavaria, visiting with and even photographing some of the Wild West performers in Munich, Germany, in 1890. Although the bulk of the photographs date to either 1890 or 1891, images in the collection encompass a time period of approximatey a half-century, from 1876 to 1926.
The specific identity of the photographers of these images is not certain. While these photographs have historically been attributed to Frank Lehner, it is more likely that he was the collector rather than the photographer. It appears that at least one image (P10215) was probably taken by Bavarian Royal Court Photographer J. Seiling, and one image (P10192) or possibly two (P10193) were taken by Charles Henry Braithwaite, a portrait photographer in Leeds, England, in 1891.
Arrangement:
The materials in this collection are organized into folders.
Biographical / Historical:
William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody opened the first Wild West show in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1883. Within four years the fame of the Wild West had grown so great that Cody took his fellow performers on an international tour of Europe, performing between 1887 and 1906 in the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Austria, and a host of other countries.
Undeniably, Cody's Wild West constructed and promoted inaccurate views of Native Americans, defining "real Indians" as only those who lived in tipis, rode horses, and wore feather headdresses. Such stereotypes have sadly been perpetuated in dime novels, television shows, and major motion pictures down to the present, ignoring the staggering cultural diversity of the Indigenous peoples of North America.
In spite of the Wild West show's culpability in creating and perpetuating narrow views of who Native peoples are and what they look like, several recent scholars have argued that there were some upsides for those Native Americans who chose to perform with this traveling show. One of the major bonuses was the relative freedom Wild West performers experienced compared with their community members who had to remain on the reservations. L.G. Moses in Wild West Shows and the Images of American Indians, 1883-1933 and Michelle Delaney in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Warriors both note Native performers' opportunities to not only see the world and earn an income, but also to practice their beliefs and live their days free from the interference of the ever-present missionaries, politicians, and BIA agents back at home.
In addition, Wild West performers experienced opportunities otherwise unimaginable to many Americans of their day, including being presented to Queen Victoria at her Golden Jubilee in London in 1887, attending the 1889 World's Fair in Paris with its debut of the newly constructed Eiffel Tower, and having their photograph taken by the daughter of the future King of Bavaria, Ludwig III, in Munich in 1890.
Provenance:
This collection was exchanged with Frank Lehner in 1932.
Restrictions:
Access to NMAI Archives Center collections is by appointment only, Monday - Friday, 9:30 am - 4:30 pm. Please contact the archives to make an appointment (phone: 301-238-1400, email: nmaiarchives@si.edu).
Rights:
Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from National Museum of the American Indian Archives Center. Please submit a written request to nmaiphotos@si.edu. For personal or classroom use, users are invited to download, print, photocopy, and distribute the images that are available online without prior written permission, provided that the files are not modified in any way, the Smithsonian Institution copyright notice (where applicable) is included, and the source of the image is identified as the National Museum of the American Indian. For more information please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use and NMAI Archive Center's Digital Image request website.
Identification of specific item; 1890; Frank Lehner photographs of Buffalo Bill's Wild West show, NMAI.AC.147; National Museum of the American Indian Archives Center, Smithsonian Institution.
The collection consists of printed materials and ephemera relating to "Wild West" shows.
Content Description:
The collection consists of printed materials and ephemera relating to "Wild West" shows. It primarily includes dime novels, programs, sheet music, advertisements, artwork, and publications.
Arrangement:
Collection arranged into one series.
Biographical / Historical:
Wild West shows were performed across the United States from circa 1870-1920. The shows introduced the American West to a wider audience and primarily featured cowboys and Native Americans, loosely based on historical events. In addition, Wild West shows offered actors opportunities to display skills of showmanship.
Related Materials:
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Warshaw Collection of Business Americana, NMAH.AC.0060
L.F. Foster Wild West Scrapbooks, Photographs, and Copy Negatives, NMAH.AC.1289
Sonora Carver Papers, NMAH.AC.0521
Provenance:
Collection donated by Anthony Sapienza in 2018.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning intellectual property rights. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Photograph made from a tintype depicting Texas Jack Omohundro, Buffalo Bill Cody, and Wild Bill Hickok, with two other men, probably Eugene Overton and Elisha Green. The men wear fringed buckskins and hats and carry rifles.
Biographical/Historical note:
In fall 1873, Wild Bill Hickok joined Buffalo Bill Cody and Texas Jack Omohundro in the western melodrama, "Scouts of the Plains." In March 1874, he quit the show and returned to the frontier.
Local Call Number(s):
NAA Photo Lot 81-17
Reproduction Note:
Copy print probably made by Joseph G. Rosa, 1981.
General note:
Information on original tintype taken from February 7, 1981 letter from Joseph G. Rosa, Wild Bill Hickok biographer.
Location of Other Archival Materials:
Digital surrogate held by Denver Public Library.
Restrictions:
The collection is open for research.
Access to the collection requires an appointment.
Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Genre/Form:
Photographs
Citation:
Photo lot 81-17, Photograph of frontier celebrities in "Scouts of the Plains", National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Story of the wild West and camp-fire chats, by Buffalo Bill, (Hon. W. F. Cody.) A full and complete history of the renowned pioneer quartett, Boone, Crockett, Carson, and Buffalo Bill ... Including a description of Buffalo Bill's conquests in England with his wild West exhibition, where royalty from all the European nations paid him a generous homage and made his wonderful show the greatest succes...
The image of the American Indian, produced and directed by "Buffalo Bill" : exhibited at the Museum of Cultural History, February 18-April 12, 1981 / by Phyllis Rogers
The frontier in American culture : an exhibition at the Newberry Library, August 26, 1994 - January 7, 1995 / essays by Richard White, Patricia Nelson Limerick ; edited by James R. Grossman
Story of the wild West and camp-fire chats, by Buffalo Bill, (Hon. W.F. Cody.) A full and complete history of the renowned pioneer quartette, Boone, Crockett, Carson and Buffalo Bill... Including a description of Buffalo Bill's conquests in England with his Wild West exhibition..
