9 1/4 x 7 1/4 in. albumen photograph on later cardstock mount with "1035" written at lower left. The print lacks a studio imprint but was originally taken by Charles Milton Bell, ca 1874.

The photograph was taken during the Navajo delegation’s visit to Washington, D.C., from December 2, 1874, to approximately January 14, 1875. The delegation traveled with former Governor W. F. M. Arny, then Indian Agent at Fort Defiance, New Mexico, to meet with the President. Their purpose was to negotiate the exchange of a strip of land in the northern portion of their reservation for more suitable agricultural and pastoral lands along its southern boundary. They also sought to address ongoing difficulties arising from the 1848 treaty, as well as to request redress for the alleged murder of three members of their tribe by Mormon settlers attempting to establish a colony in Arizona.