Studio portrait by noted Fort Sill photographer George A. Addison depicts two young Kiowa women with fringed printed cloth shawls and cradleboards with traditional beaded decoration. The cradleboard on the right has two cloth dolls and a toy tea set attached to its top.

Studio portrait of a young Kiowa mother, Lissie Woodward, and her son Oliver in a
cradleboard. The cradleboard exhibits traditional geometric Kiowa designs and studs in the support boards, while Lissie’s shawl is of a printed floral design

Studio portrait shows two Osage women and a young boy who is probably the son of one of the women. All three have identical earrings with bells, both women have silver brooches and the woman on the left has sun ray tattoos on the back of her hands, which is a traditional Osage practice.

Studio portrait of an Osage family with the husband and two wives clothed in traditional Osage dress with striped fabric, beadwork and hat and the young boys dressed in European clothing complete with knickers, belts, and manufactured leather shoes.

This photograph is a good example of an image that is not what it seems to be. This studio photograph of an American Indian boy seems to be, based on appearance and the proximity of the photographer to the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, a “before” picture of a student from that school. However, if you look closely there are clues in the photograph that do not support that interpretation. The star and moon design on the necklace and pins, which are probably actually earrings, do not correspond to any known Indian design. The beaded gauntlets are Iroquoian. The cartridge belt dates from the 1870s, but holds two different types of cartridge: pistol cartridges and very large single-shot buffalo rifle cartridges. The two feathers in the boy’s hair are anachronistic in this context. He appears to be holding a holy medal and crucifix in his right hand, which may indicate attendance in a Catholic Indian school, yet his hair is not cut, which would be standard practice for an Indian school student of the period. The conclusion one draws from the photograph is that, although the boy is Indian, most, if not all, of his costume is a studio prop. Who he is, what tribe he belongs to, and why this photograph was taken is a mystery.

Studio portrait of a young Native American man from an unknown tribe. The photograph includes an interesting combination of elements including a Plains Indian blanket that may be a studio prop, a classical European studio setting, and a young man whose pan-Indian costume cannot be identified with a particular tribe, but who may be a grass dancer based on his hair roach and knee bells.

Studio portrait shows an Iroquoian family in elaborate beaded dress. The husband is proudly displaying his 1885 Model Winchester rifle.