1880s NATIVE AMERICAN ACOMA PUEBLO INDIAN GOVERNORS HOUSE STEREOVIEW PHOTO

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1880s NATIVE AMERICAN ACOMA PUEBLO INDIAN GOVERNORS HOUSE STEREOVIEW PHOTO:
$62.50

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Rare and original, 1880\'s Albumen Stereoview Photograph of Native American Acoma Pueblo Indians gathered on and around the “Governor’s House” at the Acoma Pueblo. This wonderful, Stereo Photograph measures approx. 7” by 4” and is mounted on its original, orange colored, rounded corner, flat card mount. The subject is identified in the negative \"Governor’s House, Acoma\". The card mount carries the Albuquerque, New Mexico imprint of \"Wittick & Russell\" on the reverse that reads in part “Views in New Mexico, Arizona & Mexico, / Photographed by Ben. Wittick… / Published By Wittick & Russell, / Albuquerque, N.M.”

The Image features a dozen or so Acoma Pueblo gathered on and around a dwelling. What appears to be the “Governor’s” Family stand along the first terrace of the home. While most wear a combination of traditional and western garb, one gentleman wears a rather dapper suit and western hat – perhaps this is the “Governor”.

This Image was likely taken by Wittick (or Russell) the summer of 1883 – around the time of the \"Territorial Millennial Celebration\" held to commemorate the 333rd anniversary of the settlement of Santa Fe, the oldest city in the southwest. Attending the Celebration were \"...four or five big bands of Pueblos, a band of Apaches, the \'Laguna Rifles\' (Indian Cavalry) and Fountain\'s \'rustler\' killers, the \'Don Ana Rangers\'..\". Whittick photographer the Mescalero Apache band who attended the event and also photographed the Crow Dance of the Tesuque Pueblo, which was performed in the courtyard of the government buildings.

This rare and wonderful, Native American Acoma Pueblo Indian, Stereo Photograph is in good to very good condition. The focus is sharp, the contrast strong and the tonality rich. The images are generally clean and crisp but the card mount has edge chips, surface thinning and edge wear as can be seen in the scans below.

A very rare and fascinating, Albumen Stereoview Photograph of a group of Native American Acoma Pueblo Indian people taken by Ben Wittick (or A. Frank Randall) and a fantastic addition to any collection!!!

Some information about the Photographers A. Frank Randall and Ben Wittick:

A. Frank Randall operated out of Willcox, Arizona as an itinerant photographer beginning about 1883. Randall is primarily known for his work documenting the Navajo, Hopi and Apache. Randall and Ben Wittick were involved in the creation of one of the finest groups of images of Native Americans of the West, a series of about 100 boudoir cabinet portraits, produced at and around Fort Apache from about 1883 to 1885.

The studio backgrounds for the photographs are similar, and props such as cactus, blankets and rifles appear repeatedly in many of these images. Most are also rich with props from the daily life of the subjects like baskets, pottery, jewelry and crafts. Some images in the series are credited to Randall in hand stamped or printed labels on the reverse of the mount. Others have a \"Wittick\" credit inscribed in the emulsion of the negative, or are on Wittick imprinted mounts. Some are uncredited, and individual images have been found with credits which differ among examples.

Determining which photographer made a given image has become a significant mystery. One image, a portrait of Wittick with Peaches and two armed apache was obviously taken by Randall or an assistant. Though there are many theories and hypotheses, the relationship between Randall and Wittick in producing these incredible images has yet to be uncovered. Details about whether the images were jointly produced, if Randall and Wittick duplicated and exchanged some of the negatives, or if this work resulted from the shared use of a common studio space may never be known.

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