CHOATE, John N. (1848-1902), photographer. A pair of cabinet cards featuring identified Pueblo students at Carlisle Indian School, before and after. Carlisle, PA, ca 1880.

Studio portrait of Pueblo students Frank Cushing, Taylor Ealy, Mary Ealy, and Jenni Hammaker, wearing traditional garb as they would have entered the school at Carlisle (lower right corner detaching from mount). Choate's imprint and title list to verso, with incorrect image number and caption underlined. -- Studio portrait of the same group of 4 Pueblo students sporting short, conservative hairstyles and wearing school uniforms. Choate's imprint and title list to verso, with "72. Frank Cushing, Taylor Ealy, Mary Ealy, Jennie Hammaker, Pueblos" underlined. -- Together, 2 cabinet cards featuring a group of 4 Pueblo students, before and after being "civilized" by the school. Each approx. 4 x 5 13/16 in., or smaller, on cardstock mounts. Toning and spotting, with light soiling throughout both cards.

The original caption for the "before" photograph includes the Pueblo children's traditional names: "20. Teai-e-se-u-lu-ti-wa—Frank Cushing. Tsa-we-ea-tsa-lun-kia—Taylor Ealy. Tsai-au-tit-sa—Mary Ealy. Jan-i-uh-tit-sa—Jennie Hammaker. Pueblo Indians from Zuni, N.M."

John N. Choate (1848-1902) began a long photographic career at Carlisle, Pennsylvania in 1879 when the famous Carlisle Indian Industrial School was founded. The school's superintendent, Richard Henry Pratt, commissioned Choate to take these "before and after" portraits to document the progress his school was making in "civilizing" the students. The photographs were distributed widely, to Native American reservations to recruit new students, and to United States officials and wealthy donors to encourage their support.