Treasures from Our West: Photograph of a Nez Perce boy

Originally featured in Points West magazine in Summer 2014

Cartes-de-visite of a young Nez Perce Indian boy

In addition to the extraordinary works of Plains Indian artistry that make up the Paul Dyck Plains Indian Buffalo Culture Collection, Dyck also collected photographs, postcards, and cartes-de-visite—portraits mounted on cards. This young Nez Perce is identified on the reverse as “Willie Jackson, son of Ho-toe-toe.”

Among the many images of Native Americans in traditional dress in the collection are several like this one, with a mixture of Euro-American clothing and Native accessories such as the beaded gauntlets in the child left hand.

Black and white cartes de visite by W.S. Bowman, Pendleton, Oregon. MS320 Paul Dyck Plains Indian Buffalo Culture Collection, acquired through the generosity of the Dyck family and additional gifts of the Nielson Family and the Estate of Margaret S. Coe. P.320.230

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