[NATIVE AMERICANS]. Tintype of Southern Cheyenne man, Nan-Hi-Yurs, or "Matches"(AKA Carl Matches).

4 x 2 3/4 in. tintype housed in bifolium paper sleeve with period inked identification in lower margin, "Matches." Pencil inscription to front of sleeve reads, "(Bishop Whipple)," likely referring to Bishop Henry Benjamin Whipple (1822-1901), who acted as an advocate for Native Americans.

The young man featured in the image wears a coat with thick lapels and a tie with a stick pin through the knot.

Matches was one of 72 Native American prisoners (32 of which were Southern Cheyenne) taken to Fort Marion in St. Augustine, Florida. He was arrested on 3 April 1875 at the Cheyenne Agency in Oklahoma (then Indian Territory) when he was a young man (source discrepancies suggest he was somewhere between the ages of 19 and 25 years old). He was confined at Fort Marion for 3 years, after which he chose to attend the Carlisle Indian School in Pennsylvania. He attended Carlisle from 1881-1886, where he engaged in agricultural work among other endeavors. He returned to the Cheyenne Agency in 1892 and received an allotment of land near the Canton and Watonga areas, eventually marrying but not having children. He passed away in 1914.

Matches is best known for the sketches, or ledger drawings, he produced while a prisoner at Fort Marion. A small sketchbook containing 31 drawings is curated by the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. It was purchased from Matches by a woman visiting St. Augustine, sometime between 1875-77.
(Wierzbowski, William. Native American P.O.W. Art from Fort Marion: Matches's Sketchbook, 16-17).

This lot is located in Cincinnati.

Tintype with one notable diagonal bend grazing the top of the subject's head, though it does not appear to have cracked the surface of the image. Image is very sharp, with good focus and clarity. Sleeve with notable fold, some separations to spine, and chemical/soiling spots to front flap.

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Katie Horstman

VP, Head of Department, American Historical Ephemera and Early Photography

[email protected]513.666.4958

Ms. Horstman has spent over a decade specializing in historic photography and Americana at auction. During her tenure, she has overseen several notable single owner auctions, including property from the inventory of celebrated Americana and antique arms expert Norm Flayderman. During her time with the firm, she has maintained an active membership in the Daguerreian Society. Ms. Horstman holds an MA in Art History from the University of Cincinnati and a BA in Art History from The Ohio State University.

American Historical Ephemera and Early Photography, including The Larry Ness Collection of Native American Photography

[NATIVE AMERICANS]. Tintype of Southern Cheyenne man, Nan-Hi-Yurs, or "Matches"(AKA Carl Matches).

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