Editorial Reviews

A visual pleasure and a unique insight into American history

For the first time ever, here is renowned photographer Gertrude Käsebier's haunting collection of photographs of Native American performers from Buffalo Bill's Wild West show at the turn of the century. One hundred years later, Käsebier's portraits remain significant visual records into the lives of these Sioux performers and their nation. Her striking photographs capture the strength and character of each individual, documenting the complexity of true warriors playing a staged version of themselves.

In 1898, Käsebier wrote to William F. Cody requesting to photograph Indians performing in his Wild West show at Madison Square Garden. Her photographs proved poignant. Her studio had no elaborate backdrops, and she removed Indian regalia to depict her subjects as "raw" individuals, with strong personalities and experiences that blurred the distinction between traditional life and contemporary times. Käsebier developed long relationships with several of the Indians, corresponding with a few for many years. Examples of these letters appear in the volume, as well as drawings done by Indians waiting in her studio, photographs of Dakota Sioux on their reservation, little-known historical background, and Wild West show memorabilia, including rare pages from Buffalo Bill's original route book.

Käsebier's photographs are preserved at the National Museum of American History's Photographic History Collection at the Smithsonian Institution.

Customer Reviews

Strong and Weak, 2008-02-10
by Harvey Lutske (Los Angeles)

The superior photographs in this book speak for themselves, much better than the author does. Whereas these photographic portraits show Plains Indians (just about all Lakota Sioux I would venture) as real people and individuals with depth, but of a different culture, the author's accompanying captions are quite poor, inconsistent in description, and almost simplistic or condescending. In some photos the author describes the subject's clothing and accoutrements (bonnets, vests, weapons, etc). In other photos, she describes nothing, or little, and not necessarily accurately. The captions of Kills First (pg. 56-57) talks about his "feathers, beads and medallions of his attire." This reads like some ethnocentric 1840s missionary's description, not what I'd expect from an "associate curator at the Smithsonian's Natural Museum of American History" (per the dust jacket). Kills First is wearing a single eagle feather in the upright 1st coup position, his "medallions" are typical small mirrors or reflective discs on an otter sash trimmed with porcupine quill work, as is the quilled medicine wheel tied in his hair with dyed fluffs attached. In other captions she talks about "full, feathered headress." This is throughout the book. Stilted descriptions. Yet, all in all, for the potraitures alone, the book is worth purchasing.