Sioux Chief Spotted Eagles Hostile Village Tongue River Montana Territory 1879

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Hand-Colored Photograph Signed 14 1/4 X 24 Inches Miles City, Montana Huffman, L. A. 1879. Hand-colored photograph titled "Sioux Chief Spotted Eagles Hostile Village Tongue River Montana Territory 1879" measuring 14 1/4 x 24 inches. Signed in manuscript by the photographer L. A. Huffman. Light toning and wear to edges both recto and verso, likely from previous framing. Very light foxing dots to recto while verso shows multitude of small brown dots. Owner's grandmother embellished the print by drawing teepee poles and several teepee closures in pencil. We believe it would be easy to have an archivist remove these marks; they are at least 50 years old. Print also has manuscript marking on facing of barrel "AQMS Ft. Keogh MT" likely in pencil. Owner is convinced that his grandmother did NOT make this change. In speaking with Huffman expert Gene Allen, he states that this likely was added by Huffman or someone in Huffman's studio and stands for, "Army Quartermaster Service Fort Keogh, Montana Territory." Allen has seen other examples similar to this. These barrels were used to transport hardtack and were provided by the Army to Indian encampments. Allen states that later versions had the barrel removed from the negative and in some case the brightly hand-colored Indian was also removed from the photo. Nonetheless, a famous and rare large L. A. Huffman image. Gene Allen writes: "Laton Alton Huffman arrived in Miles City, Montana Territory in December of 1879. He was 25 years old and had come to seek the recently vacated position of post photographer at nearby Fort Keogh. Fort Keogh was a military post established shortly after the Custer incident in 1876 to provide a military presence in eastern Montana. He was appointed post photographer, an unpaid position that provided a dirt floor log studio and an opportunity to make and sell photographs. This was a rapidly changing time in Montana's history. Hostilities between early settlers and Native Americans were drawing to a close and reservation life was beginning. The demise of the great buffalo herds was near, clearing the way for large scale cattle ranching. The railroad arrived in Miles City in 1881 and changed everything. The arrival of large numbers of farmers with their plows and fences would permanently alter the landscape of eastern Montana. During all of this, Huffman was there taking photographs - landscapes, animals, early ranches, street scenes and, especially, people doing their work. His photos of buffalo hunting taken between 1880 - 83 are some of the few that exist and are among the most historically significant images he produced. By far his most extensive and complete body of work relates to the cattle industry and its associated activities. He photographed the beginning, heyday, and end of the open range days. In addition to his skill and artistry as a photographer, he was able to incorporate his previous experiences as a rancher. He participated in roundups, helped with the activities and knew many of the area's ranchers and cowboys. His ability to anticipate the action helped him to be in the right place at the right time. His early action-stopping photos, many taken from his "four legged tripod", are unequaled.". N° de ref. del artículo 103

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