Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1912-04-12
.PHOTOGRAPH|NG
The RED CHIEFS
Government Maintains Inter-
esting Indian Collection
4 r at Washington

MAKING THE PIcrUREs-FiFTEEN
THOUSAND NEGATIVES REPRE-.
sENTlNG PRACTICALLY EVERY
NORTH, CENTRAL AND SOUTH
AMERICAN TRIBE.
Washington, D. C.-Indian pictures,
Indian corners and everything or any
thing indian, do you know that the
nation maintains within this Mecca OF
the tribes and races photograph gal
lery for red men only?
happened into this unique institu'
ton short time ago, happily at thu
moment while sat posing midst all the
awe and majesty Of king, pictur
esque and stolit. chief Of the w1lG
lands, an aboriginal brave bedecked
in the richest of reds and puppies, be-
smeared with the gaudiest of barbaric
cosmetics, benecklaced with the for
midable claws of the grizzly, be-ear-
ringed with bells whose jingles kept
cadence with each toss of his proud
head.
This proud chieftain had journeyed
far to greet the Great Father" The
portrait for which he posed was one
of the perquisites Of his mission. In
a dressing room adjacent to the studio
his suite Of attendants had consumed
full hour and half in grooming him
for the sitting.
Fifteen thousand negatives, repre-
senting practically every aboriginal
tribe Of North, Central and South
America, have been made by the official
photographers, partly in this studio
and partly in the field. All the work
Is done under tn Bureau of Ethnol-
ogy, of which the studio is a part.
Every savage photographed re-
ceives, gratis, one artistically mounted
print from each negative for which he
is willing to pose. These portraits the
braves take home and tack up in their
wigwams and tepees, exhibiting them
to their friends with great pride and
gusto.
Indian portraits were scarce articles
prior to this enterprise of the Bureau
Of Ethnology. The more uncivilized
the red men, the more intense is his
fear Of the camera. Only stealth and
diplomacy have overcome these scru-
pies among the wild tribes. Willing
ness to pose has been one of the &C.
compartments of gradual enlighten.
ment.
11iyy Twill
tribes look upon camera just as they
do Calling gun. Fear of material
harm is but one scruple.
To give any man ones image is to
give him supernatural control of ones
life nfluences-power which also would
be assured did another possess hair
of ones head or even the pairing from
ones finger nail. This is a part Of
the creed Of many tribes.
The average Indian is averse to hav-
ing his profile photographed. Those
of whom this view is made invariably
fail to recognize themselves. Although
Poor Lo is the embodiment of all hui.
man vanities. he has never perhaps ar
ranged his mirrors to present to his
eye a direct profile view of his sto-
ical features.
me no like. No, that no me. That
half a man." This, or words to this
effect, is the comment made by many
red braves upon whom is brought to
bear the PERSUASION that profile por-
traits represent them.
The superstition that profile por-
trait will cause the side turned away
from the camera to wither up and die
is one which has been confided to the
photographers by several Indians.
Indian children are always the first
to make friends with the photogra-
pher; men the next; women the last.
For purposes Of anatomical study
study, semi-nude poses have been at
tempted, but to these the women al
most invariably object. An instructive
modesty forbids.
'In dealing with group never pho
tographed before, we are always faced
by the obstacle of fear" said a pho
tographer. Frequently in the field
we have to pay subjects sums Of
money, feed them handfuls of sugar,
or bride them with presents. Even
then, the group having been posed to
my taste, to see their images sudden
ly disappear from my ground glass
during the operation of focusing, is a
common experience. often raise my
head fron the cloth only to find that
all of my subjects have vanished like
breath. isto the wind
"Freqsently 1 commence operations
by unsxtewing one of my lenses and
utilizing it as a sunglass to light my
pipe. 4'his invariably causes the Gu
rious crowd to gather nearer to behold
the miracle, which repeat again and
again. l then select the most friendly
among them-usually the Interpreter.
Assurance that no harm comes to him
often makes many converts. Never
thetess, 1t Is often necessary for one
Of our ethnologists to stand In the
group as further guarantee that the
instrument Is loaded neither with bull
let's nor blasts from the Internal re-
gions.
THE Indian will not smile while
posing. He assumes either scowl
or look of abject melancholy. Nearly
all of the aborigines with whom
have come In contact have keen
sense of humor, but this never fingers
long on the surface. During the ordeal
of posing It is practically impossible
to conjure up pleasant physiogomy.
Three.quarter bloods or half.breeds
| will often consent to grow dramatic,
but the fullbloods mast be photo