Researching Photographs

[Delmonico]

On the Pre-1875 pants thread we talked a bit on research with photographs.  I decided to start this thread instead of continuing on that thread. 

When I get a chance to look at a photo I've never seen before, I look around the edges first.  Since the photos of our time period are posed, either planned ahead of time or the really good ones are where everyone stopped what they were doing and posed.

I'll take one of my favorites as an example, chuckwagons:  first look to see if there are bedrolls in the picture, these were carried on the chuck wagon or hoodlum wagon and tended to stay somewhere close.  If you don't see them, it raises a red flag as to if it was planned or not.  Many also show cowboys with plates, but no food on them.  Look for a fire for the cook to be using, it will be close also.  Many lack this important item, the dutch ovens and the coffee pot should be near the fire to keep them warm.

Many of these also have at least part of the cowboys wearing a white dress shirt often with a tie, not normal range wear.  A close look at the far background will often show the ranch buildings, meaning the wagon was brought out to a sutable spot and set up for the photo.

I also look for garbage on the ground, like egg shell, potato peelings and even empty cans, these tend to prove to me, that the cook really did prepare a meal.

I would say about half the chuckwagon picture I've seen are nothing but posed shots, this makes them a bit less valuable for the research im doing. 

Also look at any firearms in the picture, a picture I've seen somewhere shows a chuckwagon that is said by the caption to be on the Chisum Trail, but careful study showed at least one 1894 Winchester in the photo.

But often this study will show items one is not looking for.  A good example of an item I found revovles around a shirt Wah Maker has made, a bib shirt with a dragon on it, folks asked me many times if that was a true period item.  I never really doubted it, since embroided bib shirts are often seen and the Chinese in the west had some influence.

I finnally got to see a copy of the famous picture of Billy the Kid that had not been touched up, there, partly visible is a bib shirt with a dragon on it.

I consider photos valuble research tools, but each picture needs very close study to help decide if the dates on them and what any caption says it true to what one really sees in the picture.

[Silver Creek Slim]

Great tips, Del. I would never have thought of some of these. Guess that's why yer the cosie. 

Slim

[J.D. Yellowhammer]

I believe this one is authentic, meaning the entire set isn't manufactured, but I'm still studying it.  I do know that it's a very early flash-powder image.  Now that I look--I see that one of these cowboys is wearing his holster in a cross-draw position (answering my question in the other thread--should'a looked)
By the way--my photographs are completely posed and we create the sets, too. ( http://dorseyfoto.com )  Some things never change...

Here's the changing of the shift:

http://www.dorseyfoto.com/1shiftchange1880s.jpg

[Delmonico]

I consider the flash photo of the night guards changing shifts the best photo I've ever seen to depict the cowboy in his true form.  And I would prefer to stay upwind from them, you can almost smell the BO in that one.  I consider that one worth a 1000 posed studio photo's.

[Delmonico]

Back to the "Changing of the Guard" photo, the guy with the leather suspenders to the left of the fella with the cross draw rig has a torn shirt.  The one to the right of him in the background with the pipe has bib overalls on.  Since many sources say "cowboys" never wore bib overalls, do we consider them wrong or have we got a nester that slipped in?

One other interesting note most would pass by, see the growth of whiskers on them, even the ones with out beards.  However I noticed the one who is sleeping and the other fella is holding up his blanket looks clean shaven.  Was he the only one that bothered?  Look there by the pistol, I think it's a braid, most likely a Native American Cowboy.  Not that it is a big surprise.

[J.D. Yellowhammer]

Those do look like bibs.  The original is on page 271 of "The West, An Illustrated History."  I'll try to get a better scan to see if I can reveal any more details.
The book is full of fascinating shots.

[Delmonico]

I've got that book, there is more interesting pictures in it.  I'll post some more when I get home where I have the book.

[litl rooster]

try this link also.  www.riggscam.com/index.asp?p=9770

[Delmonico]

Thanks for the link litl rooster, i'll check it ourt more in the future.

Back to The West An Illustrated History by Geoffry C. Ward this is the companion book to the Ken Burns series The West.  I in no means want anyone to think I am poking fun at it because such a book is a large undertaking and mistakes are easy to make.

friend Mr. Yellowhammer I don't have a scanner so if you can put up photos' I would be in debted.  go to page 344 in the book, this photo is out of the Kansas State Historical Society and has been used in several books.  It is said to be Exodusters waiting for a steamboat to take them to Kansa.  (Exodusters were African-americans that took up homesteads after the Civil War.)  If one looks carefully, one sees water on both sides of the levee. 

One the right hand side one sees both a fence line and a house surronded by water, not a good thing.  Also one sees what appears to be someone maybe taking a nap with a cover on them.  When one looks carefully they see they are laying on a picket fence and are stiched up in canvas.

I would think this is someone who drowned and they have been prepared as best they could for burrial. I think these folks are waiting for something, but I don't think Kansas is on their mind at this time.

[J.D. Yellowhammer]

Sure, I'll scan it now.  Let me know if there are any others you'd like scanned, too.

JD

[J.D. Yellowhammer]

Before I post Del's more serious photograph, I wanted to share this one from the book:

pp280;  In 1873, ["Wild Bill's"] old friend Buffalo Bill invited him to come east and tour in a melodrama called "The Scouts of the Plains."  It didn't go well, Bill was often drunk and he had a "high, girlish voice that was hard to hear."  Buffalo Bill finally had to retire Bill because he kept firing blanks at the bare legs of the actors playing indians, to see them hop.

The auther wrote that Hickok's weapon was "unaccountably upside down."  Well, it doesn't take a genius to know that Mr. H was mugging and perhaps a spot warmed by Kentucky's finest.

http://www.dorseyfoto.com/scoutsplains1.jpg

[J.D. Yellowhammer]

I must say, sir, you've got a mighty keen eye.  It's too bad the people writing the captions didn't.  This image would have even more power as "the great flood of ..."

http://www.dorseyfoto.com/family1a.jpg

close-up of houses and trees on right:  http://www.dorseyfoto.com/family1b.jpg

close-up or trees on left:  http://www.dorseyfoto.com/family1c.jpg

close-up of (flood?) victim:  http://www.dorseyfoto.com/family1d.jpg

edited to add--Louisiana? again

[Delmonico]

I must confess I've had some help from a friend who is one of the masters at it. John Carter from the NSHS, the man who did so much work with the Solomon Butcher collection. 

So turn to page 347 in the same book and we have a picture of a family by a grave.  The caption says it's the grave of their daughter Victoria, but the stone says Willie.  Interesting, and the pines the caption says are planted on it are Eastern Red Cedar.

These are all items I've discovered on my own after attending a couple seminars of his.  He has taken the glass plate negatives of the collection and scanned them into a fancy computor and played with it and peeks into the windows of the soddies.

The whole collection can be viewed at:

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/award98/nbhihtml/pshome.html

When you get the photo's on full screen, scroll under and click on the enlargement button.  If you are on dial up like my computor at home, it's time to got fill the coffee cup and make a snack, but it is well worth the wait.  5X7 glass plate negatives hold a lot of detail.

[J.D. Yellowhammer]

That is a haunting photograph.  I've returned to it many times.  I think Willie Andrews died May 15, 1881.  Underneath it says "Aged" but I can't see a numeral.

I have to wonder about the captions.  Did someone make a mistake long ago that has been perpetuated in successive publications, or is the mistake new? 

It brings to mind the alleged photograph of Josephine "Josie" Baker, Wyatt E's lover, and the nude photo of her.  Turns out it was a photo taken somewhere around 1908, as I recall, of a model.  And then there are all the different shots of Doc Holiday.  I believe only one has been positively verified, the one that's most prevalent.

Oh, I meant to thank you for the link.  I can't wait to start browsing.

[Delmonico]

Ok, type graves into the search on the Butcher collection.  John Carter has it right.  The Flood one I've seen in other books marked as Exodusters, wonder if it's wrong at the KSHS collection.  Wonder if they'd get upset if I called. 

I am not real knowledgable about computors, but the links on that collection change after a while so if you post a link it might not work the next day, someone tried to explain it but I don't understand.

[J.D. Yellowhammer]

Yep, he got it right.  I couldn't tell from the photo whether Willie died in '81 or '87. 

I think you should call the curators.  If they get upset it's only because they're embarassed!

[St. George]

Going back to the observation of the cross-draw - might you also think that it's just that particular cowboy showing off his weapon?

Stands to reason that some guys'd be 'prouder' of their gear than others may be.

In 'many' of the staged photographs of the period - those taken in studios where props were supplied - the sidearm is a paramount item - often shown being held - and perhaps a picture like that was taken in a town that prohibited carry...

There's a photo I saw just yesterday where a bunch of cowboys were sitting and showing off their spurs.

I'm 'pretty' sure it's in Ward's book...

Scouts Out!

[Delmonico]

I think you are right on that one, I'm gusseing that photo is from a roundup sinch most pictures of cowboys around chuckwargons are from roundups.  There was no need to carry at most roundups and any firearms around were kept in the chuckwagon. 

That one is a bit to far forward to be comfertable riding, it would poke your gut.

[J.D. Yellowhammer]

Not really relevant to the discussion, but here's a photo that my uncles describes as "one miserable looking soldier."  It's my great-great-grandfather, E.H. Floyd.
http://www.dorseyfoto.com/ehfloydsmall.jpg

Here's a closeup of the belt.  I can't tell what kind of pistol that is, but the hammer and triggerguard look strange: 
http://www.dorseyfoto.com/ehfloydpistols.jpg

It appears that he has another pistol shoved into the dark side of his belt.

[Delmonico]

I reconize the gun, but I can't think of the name right now.  Did you notice the photo is reversed?