American Historical Ephemera & Photography Online

FOSTER, Thomas Gimson (1850-1923), photographer. Large format group portrait of the 1908 American Olympic Team including Hopi runner, Louis/Lewis Tewanima.

Approx. 11 1/2 x 8 3/8 in. silver gelatin photograph on cardstock mount (image with significant surface scratching and discoloration/wear; mount with significant soiling and wear especially to edges and corners); framed to 23 1/4 x 20 1/4 in. (not examined out of frame). Mount recto bears inscribed date above image, "1908," and caption beneath image, "American Olympic Team," along with photographer's imprint. Foster's Brighton and Hove addresses are listed in either corner at bottom. 

Louis/Lewis Tewanima (1888-1969) grew up on a reservation in Arizona before being sent away to school, first in New Mexico, then in Pennsylvania. While a student at Carlisle Indian School in Pennsylvania, he trained with fellow student and famous athlete Jim Thorpe. Tewanima made a name for himself as a long distance runner, competing in the Olympics twice, the first time in 1908, when he finished in ninth place in the marathon, and a second time in 1912, when he won a silver medal in the 10,000 meter race. He was inducted into the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame in 1957.