CHOATE, John N. (1848-1902), photographer. A pair of large format photographs featuring identified Chiricahua Apache students at Carlisle Indian School, before and after. Carlisle, PA, ca 1880s.
Outdoor portrait of a group of 11 identified Chiricahua Apache students "as they arrived at Carlisle from Fort Marion, Florida, November 4th, 1886," wearing traditional garb and long hairstyles (toning and a few imperfections to image surface; heavy spotting and wear to mount edges). Mount recto with Choate's blindstamp along with printed caption and identification of subjects. -- Studio portrait of the same 11 Chiricahua Apache students as they appeared "Four Months After Arriving at Carlisle," sporting conservative hairstyles and wearing school uniforms (toning and a few imperfections to image surface; discoloration and wear to mount edges). Mount recto bears printed caption, identification of subjects, and photographer's credit. Ca 1887. -- Together, 2 large format albumen photographs, each 8 5/8 x 6 3/8 in., or smaller, on cardstock mounts; framed individually to 17 1/2 x 15 1/2 in. (not examined out of the frame).
Subjects are identified as: Clement Seanilzay, Humphrey Escharzay, Beatrice Kiahtel, Samson Noran, Janette Pahgostatun, Hugh Chee, Basil Ekarden, Bishop Eatenna, Margaret Y. Nadasthilah, Ernest Hogee, and Fred'k. Eskelsejah.
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.
An rare pair of large format images with 11 identified subjects.
This lot is located in Cincinnati.
