Based on the dress of the man on the right, I would say we are in the western part of the United States, but how far west? I really couldn't say. There are more unanswered questions. What is that box on the wall? Who are these people? What is the pole that the Native American man has across his lap? Although the (presumably) Native American man seems humble and unassuming, the other man's attention is focused entirely on him. Was he someone important? I like to think that he was the Kalispel Chief, Masselow, based on some physical similarities, but who knows. Here's a picture of Chief Masselow from the First People's website. I'm sorry that I can't solve the puzzle of this card, even though I enjoy the mystery. Still, I can't help but think that in the right hands, these questions would find answers. Feel free to add any suggestions or insight you may have.
Here's another lead. Notice that the Native American man has a little bit of facial hair. Contrary to popular belief, Native American, particularly those in the Pacific Northwest, did grow facial hair. The facial hair may help to narrow down the tribe of this individual, because it was certainly not typical of all Native Americans. I think it probably narrows it down to the Pacific Northwest Indians. This Edward Curtis photo from the Library of Congress shows a Native American (Old Bob from the Karok tribe) with similar facial hair.
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| Source: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3c18587 |
Here are a couple of close-ups of the men. The resolution of the original is not great, so this is as good as it gets.
The theme for Sepia Saturday this week is scouts. My post has nothing to do with scouts, except for 'scouting for clues'. If you want to see some real scouts, march on over to Sepia Saturday.
Although the man on the left is wearing moccasins, his clothes and hat are more western. What is that THING between the window and door?
ReplyDeleteHi Wendy, Native Americans of the era often adopted Western dress to some extent. I think shoes may have been the last part of the transition, because giving up soft flexible moccasins for painful western boots or shoes is a hard sell.
ReplyDeleteThe man on the left appears to have long hair like the Chief.
ReplyDeleteI think the native Indian man looks a bit lost he does not really agree what the white man says to him, who is sure of himself. It could be that they are friends? It looks to me as there is something quite serious happening. What?
ReplyDeleteChristine, I wanted to enlarge the photo but couldn't because Lighbox is on. The man on the left almost looks like he's wearing round glasses.... Also, he seems to be the focus of the photo and is looking directly at the camera.
ReplyDeleteDid you know that on google images you can search and compare images? You can tell it to look at your photo, then to search for photos like it. Sometimes it doesn't work very well but other times it's great. I think it might depend on the quality of the photo - graininess, contrast, etc. - and detail or lack thereof in the fore- and backgrounds. Upload the photo and allow it to have its own link (as in, not in Lightbox). Copy the url of the image, then go to google images, and click on the little camera to the right of the search box. Paste in the url of the photo and hit enter. Images that google thinks are similar will appear. (Though sometimes they're not very similar.) It's possible that someone else has posted the postcard and has identified the two men and/or the location. You may get nothing, but then again... you never know. You could also try cropping the image to get just the men, individually or together. You might also heighten the contrast in the image to make it clearer. Or maybe it's all just too much work....
Teddy Roosevelt, Mark Twain, and Buffalo Bill all came to mind for the man on the right but I think their moustaches aren't right.
Hope you find out. Tell us if you do!
I too wonder what the gizmo on the wall is. What is that little opening at the bottom of it? Is it a wild west vending machine?
ReplyDeleteThanks Nancy. I will give that a try.
ReplyDeleteI also didn't know one could search and compare pictures via Google. These are wonderful photos. That item on the building could be some kind of weather gauge. The faces are remarkable, glad you enlarged them so we could see details of the two men hanging out. They seem fond of one another.
ReplyDeleteFor some reason, I think of the Southwest U.S. when I see the photo, although I don't have any clear reason why (although you've got a point by mentioning the facial hair with reference to NW Native Americans).
ReplyDeleteYes what is that stick, it looks marked like a gauge. You've done well to narrow it down to an area, now it is out on the internet you never know someone may come up with the answer.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting photo. They do sort of look like friends. But maybe just for the shot. I wonder.
ReplyDeleteWish I could help about the area they're from. I got my degree in anthropology, yet I haven't a clue. I agree
Though that they appear more from the south west.
Nancy
This is very interesting, and I have enjoyed reading all of the comments ... but am no help in coming up with answers. I didn't know about the trick that Nancy has just taught us about either. I like how you tied in the word "scout"!
ReplyDeleteKathy M.
It is indeed an interesting photo and it seems you’ve been doing some detective work already. That google trick is one I must try for myself.
ReplyDeleteI tried the Google images trick with hilarious results. When I used the whole photo, it came back with assorted images (all black and white) of topless women wearing garter belts, various head shots of men and women, and some women on the beach. When I tried it with just the Native American face, it came back with pictures of dogs, cats, rocks, and meringues. I guess my photo resolution isn't good enough. Good for a laugh though.
ReplyDeleteOh yes, that contraption. It is interesting. Almost looks like some sort of time clock, but then you have to wonder who and why would people need to check in and out.
ReplyDeleteAnd he does look Native American. Reminds me of a Plains tribe or some of the South Western tribes. Possible he had a white ancestor, thus the facial hair.
Oh I like that story of searching with the photo in google! Too funny. It would be so interesting to know just what that object hanging on the porch is. Like a weather dial or message post of sorts. Mark Twain was the first man to come to mind for me. Could the thing across his lap be a pool stick? If you find out the real truths let us know okay?!
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry, Christine. I haven't used the google image search much, didn't know what it might do. Can you increase the contrast of the close-ups of the men? And is the type of hat a clue? Good luck!
ReplyDeleteNancy,
ReplyDeleteNo need to be sorry; I got a huge laugh out of it. I'm looking forward to trying it with higher resolution images.
Not just a perfect example of scouting for clues but also a perfect example of the art of photo-analysis which really should have a book written about it. There are few things as interesting as getting inside a photograph.
ReplyDeleteWhat a terrific early card! You're definitely a master postcard detective, Christine, always keeping it interesting.
ReplyDeleteYour speculations are as good as anybody else's.
ReplyDeleteNot sure it is the one and the same fellow,
but who knows?
;)~
HUGZ