Billy Bowlegs
odd: label: Local Numbers
content: OPPS NEG.42913
label: Local Note
content: Print submitted marked on reverse: "from Theo Lesley collection," and stamped, "No. Rel 290. When ordering additional photographs please mention above negative number. Burgert Bros., House of photography, 712 Gr. Central, P. O. Box 1497, Tampa, Fla."
label: Local Note
content: William C. Sturtevant, Yale U. Department of Anthropology, in letter to M.W. Stirling, April 16, 1955; refers to this photograph as follows: Seeing it I think the date written on it (1852) is probably correct. While the costume is close to that BB wore for his 1858 portraits, it is even more similar to the one shown in an engraving in the Illustrated London News, volume 22, number 623, May 21, 1853, page 396, which is from a daguerreotype by "Meade Brothers, New York," taken during the visit of BB and party to New York in 1852. However, the pictures are not the same so yours may not be by Meade. This fills a nice gap in the pictures of BB, and allows a better interpretation of this costume than was previously possible--
label: Local Note
content: 1956. Sturtevant points out that Bowlegs wears 3 gorgets and 1 medal in this, as in two other portraits which are definitely dated 1852, namely the one in the Illustrated London News (see above) and a (rather poor) line reproduction from Gleason's Pictorial Drawing Room Companion, Volume III, Number 17, Boston, October 23, 1852, page 257. In pictures definitely dated 1858 (see notes on card for BAE Negative 1175) he wears 1 gorget and 2 medals.
label: Local Note
content: Black and white copy negative
topic: label: Topic
content: Seminole
label: Topic
content: Indians of North America -- Southern states
culture: label: Culture
content: Miccosukee Seminole (Mikasuki)
setName: label: See more items in
content: Bureau of American Ethnology negatives
label: See more items in
content: Bureau of American Ethnology negatives / Additional Materials / ANONYMOUS
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 1 Photograph (4 1/2x6 1/2 in)
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1852
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: National Anthropological Archives
objectType: label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Photographs
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Photographs
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: Full-length, standing studio portrait.

Theodore Lesley, 2707 Morrison Avenue, Tampa 9, Florida, letters of June 17 and 27, 1959, to WCS: According to quote from The Florida Peninsular (Tampa) of December 12, 1857, on November 19, 1857, a company of Florida Volunteers] under Captain Cone (or perhaps Captain Stephens, Captain Stewart, or Captain [L.G.] Lesley) discovered Billy Bowlegs' settlement [in the Big Cypress Swamp] where "The entire suit of King William, the invincible was secured, together with his Ambrotype, taken when he was last in Washington as Diplomatic Assistant to a celebrated contractor for removing Indians." The ambrotype was kept by Captain L. G. Lesley. About 1885 his son, Captain John T. Lesley, had a copy made. The original was subsequently lost, [original found, see Negative 53887] but the copy is in the possession of Theodore Lesley, grandson of JTL. About 1954 T. L. lent this to Mr Harry P. Kennedy of Tampa (deceased ca 1957), with the understanding that he would have one copy made, for his own use only. Burgert Brothers should not have a copy negative., according to T. L. [but it is in their file of stock views, seen by WCS 3/14/59] Information from W. C. Sturtevant 8-4-59.