Native American Photographs

ajmorris posted this on January 22nd, 2012

Original photographs of Native Americans are a highly collectible sub-category in the field of antique photographs. They were popular in the 19th century, so there are many examples available. Unfortunately, these are also one of the most frequently counterfeited types of photographs, some of the forged copies themselves dating back to the 19th century when illegal copies of celebrities and desirable topics (such as these Native American images) was big business. The above image come from the Library of Congress collection, so we know it is authentic -- the original was submitted by the photographer to secure his copyrights.

This image is titled simply 'Wichita' and has a copyright notice in the negative by F A Rinehart of Omaha, 1898. The copyright office received it January 3rd, 1899, so that is the official publication date. Rinehart was best known for his Native American portraits, such as this sensitive view of a Wichita mother with her baby in a cradleboard. Original prints like this sell for several hundred dollars each. Modern reproductions of Rinehart's images are readily available too.