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George W. Ingalls Photograph Collection: Finding
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photCL 275
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Title: George W. Ingalls Photograph Collection
Dates (inclusive): approximately 1869 - 1915
Bulk dates: 1870s
Collection Number: photCL 275
Collector:
Ingalls, George W., 1838-1921
Extent:
1,126 photographs in 36 boxes: 598 prints and copy prints, 475 glass negatives, and 53 copy transparencies + notes and ephemera
Repository:
The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens.
Photo Archives
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Phone: (626) 405-2191
Email: reference@huntington.org
URL: http://www.huntington.org
Abstract: A collection of glass plate negatives and prints collected by Major George W. Ingalls, a United States Indian agent, 1872-1875,
who worked among Paiute and other tribes in the American West, as well as among
Great Plains, Great Basin and Eastern tribes relegated to Indian Territory. Many of the photographs were made in the early
1870s, including several original wet-plate glass negatives made by Powell expedition photographer
John K. Hillers, and by Charles M. Bell. The collection illustrates Indian reform practices of the late 19th century, including
views of Indian children attending seminary schools; portraits of tribal leaders in western suits;
missionaries and churches in Indian Territory. There are also portraits of Indian delegates in Washington D.C.; portraits
taken at Council meetings; and early views of Reno, Nevada.
Language: English.
Note:
Finding aid last updated on May 26, 2015.
Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information, contact Reader
Services.
The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material,
nor does it charge fees for such activities.
The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the
researcher.
George W. Ingalls Photograph Collection. The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
Purchased from Mrs. Elizabeth A. Ingalls, 1923.
Technical Details
The glass negatives are various sizes: 4 1/8 x 6 1/2 inches, 5 x 7 inches, 5 x 8 inches, and 8 x 10 inches. There are both
wet plate and dry plate negatives; double-thick and plain glass; stereographs;
and some with broken edges or cracks. Note that there are some original exposures on glass (by John K. Hillers, Charles M.
Bell and possibly others), but many are also copies -- photographs of photographs or
other types of reproductions.
The prints are also a mixture of reproductions and originals. In cases where there is a negative and no print, a modern copy
print was made from the negative by the Huntington Library, ca. 1980s-1990s, and
interfiled with the other prints.
George W. Ingalls was born in Massachusetts in 1838. He became a member of the Baptist Church, and as a young man went to
Illinois, where he worked as a merchandise clerk and proprietor. He married Jennie Roberts
in 1866, with whom he had three children. In 1870, he was working as a life insurance agent in Springfield, Ill., while also
becoming increasingly involved in Indian affairs through the American Baptist Home
Mission Society. In 1872, President Grant appointed Ingalls U. S. Indian Agent for Nevada, Utah and Southeast California.
In 1873, he was made U.S. Special Indian Commissioner, along with John Wesley Powell,
to investigate the condition of the Indians of the Colorado Plateau and Great Basin. Ingalls, Powell and photographer John
K. Hillers travelled from Kanab to St. George and then to Las Vegas in the fall of 1873
to photograph Paiute Indians.
In 1874, the U.S. government published the "Report of Special Commissioners J. W. Powell and G. W. Ingalls on the Condition
of the Ute Indians of Utah; the Paiutes of Utah, Northern Arizona, Southern Nevada, and
Southeastern California; the Go-Si-Utes of Utah and Nevada; the Northwestern Shoshones of Idaho and Utah; and the Western
Shoshones of Nevada…"
Ingalls, Powell and Hillers were together again in 1875, when Hillers was making photographs in Indian Territory, Oklahoma,
for the Smithsonian's display at the Centennial Exposition of 1876 in Philadelphia.
Hillers' diary of 1875 mentions Ingalls several times.
In 1874, Ingalls was appointed the first agent in charge of the Union Agency of consolidated Cherokee, Choctaw, Creek, Chickasaw
and Seminole Indian tribes. He resigned as agent in 1875, but continued with
religious and educational work among the Indians.
Ingalls' first wife died in 1875, and in 1879 he married Dr. Elizabeth Shaw, a graduate of Michigan University who was a missionary
physician among the Indians in Indian Territory.
Ingalls moved to Arizona in 1880 and organized the first Territorial Exposition of Arizona, 1883. He turned his attention
to mines and organizing civic expositions in Oregon, and eventually returned to Nevada
in 1901. He became Secretary of the Nevada Chamber of Commerce at Reno, and in 1909, was chosen probation officer of the
Juvenile Court. He resigned in 1912 and spent his time writing articles and giving
lectures on his experiences among the Indians. He lived his last years in San Diego, and then Redlands, California, where
he died in 1921.
In his later years, Ingalls wrote to the Smithsonian’s Bureau of Ethnology, asking for copies of specific photographs (many
of which are in this collection). In a July 25, 1914, letter, he wrote “… in 1873
and 4, I was with the late Major J. W. Powell, Special Indian Commissioner and served in making investigations of the condition
of Indians in Utah, Nevada, Northern Ariz., S. E. California & Southern
Idaho, and taking a census of same … Jack Hillers made photographs of Indians at the time … I desire 8x10 and stereoscopic
size for illustrating my experiences of 40 years among Indians and New Legends
never in print of Paiutes and Washoes. Have started a new crusade of Indians (Temperance)…and have 1,000 signers to Anti-Liquor
League. I want above named photos for use stated, also for lantern slides
for my lectures among Indians and Whites...” On May 30, 1919, Ingalls wrote from San Diego, California, requesting more photos
for a “revised new book on wild & civilized Indians … the following photographic
prints 8x10 size that were made under Mr. Jack Hillers 1871-2-3 when with J.W. Powell and G.W. Ingalls … also by Jack Hillers
- Oklahoma 1875 for G.W. Ingalls, Supt. 1875 in Oklahoma.” The BAE reply says:
“we have the original negatives of 80 subjects listed by you … we will have to have the works printed privately, 50 cents
each without regard to size - total: $40. The prints will be made on glossy b&w
paper suitable for engraving or copying.”
Sources consulted:
- Fleming, Paula Richardson. Native American Photography at the Smithsonian: The Shindler Catalogue. Washington D.C.: Smithsonian, 2003.
- Ingalls, G. W., letters to Superintendent, Bureau of Ethnology, Dept. of Interior, 1914, 1915 and 1919. Source: National Anthropological Archives, Bureau of American Ethnology correspondence, Box 180, Letters received 1909-1949 -- Ingalls, G. W.
- Fowler, Don, ed. "Photographed All the Best Scenery": Jack Hillers's Diary of the Powell Expeditions, 1871-1875. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 1972.
A collection of glass plate negatives and prints collected by Major George W. Ingalls, a United States Indian agent, 1872-1875,
who worked among Paiute and other tribes in the West, as well as among
Great Plains, Great Basin and Eastern tribes relegated to Indian Territory. Many of the photographs were made in the early
1870s and include photographs by John K. Hillers made during expeditions
with John Wesley Powell in 1873 and 1874; views of Indian children attending seminary schools; portraits of tribal leaders
in western suits; missionaries and churches in Indian Territory. There are
also portraits of Indian delegates in Washington D.C.; portraits taken at Council meetings; and early views of Reno, Nevada,
from the early 1900s.
The majority of tribes represented are from Great Basin and Great Plains regions, but there are also Southwest Indian photographs
by A. C. Vroman; and views of Northeast and Southeast Indian tribe
members living in Indian Territory or attending annual council meetings. Notably, there is a view of a skull showing an example
of head flattening (Folder 33, Item 1).
Many of the original prints have ink captions in Ingalls’ hand. Ingalls’ captions often mention if the Indians pictured are
Christians or otherwise “reformed.”
There are photographs of Indian graduates of seminary schools, and views of institutional buildings and
churches with native and non-native people. Missionary families are shown in their houses, as well as native preachers in
their new wooden houses. Additionally,
there are also descriptions in pencil on the backs of original prints and copy prints that are, for the most part, taken from
Ingalls’ original negative envelopes.
At some point after acquisition, Ingalls’ handwritten identifications
on the original negative envelopes were transcribed to the backs of the prints and the envelopes were discarded. A few still
survive, and are filed with the prints --see Folder 23 (3), to see an example.
This collection is a mixture of original and copy prints and negatives, as well as a few pieces of ephemera and some manuscript
photograph lists and possible lecture notes by Ingalls.
There are many original exposures among the glass negatives, which Ingalls may have received directly from the photographer(s).
Others are copies that Ingalls may have borrowed to be photographed for his own collection, or he received from elsewhere.
The Smithsonian's Bureau of Ethnology received letters from Ingalls asking
for copies of certain photographs, indicating he did receive some copies this way. A May 30, 1919, letter from Ingalls’ to
the BAE refers to Hillers’ photographs “for” him in Oklahoma, 1875,
supporting the idea that Hillers gave Ingalls some original negatives.
Related materials in the Huntington Library
- Horatio N. Rust Photograph Collection (photCL 11)
- A.C. Vroman Photograph Collection (photCL 86)
- Photograph album of Southwest Pueblos and portraits of Indian leaders (photCL 190)
The collection is organized into 4 series:
- Original and copy prints
- Ephemera and notes
- Glass negatives
- Copy negatives (transparencies)
The photographs are organized by tribe and listed loosely by geographic and cultural region: Southwest, Great Basin, California
and Plateau, Great Plains, Southeast, and Northeast.
Some sections include views of non-Indians, towns, and buildings taken in vicinity.
Following tribe names, there are sections for: Artifacts; U.S. Indian Agents and Missionaries; Miscellaneous and Unidentified.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the
Huntington Library's Online Catalog.
Hopkins, Sarah Winnemucca, 1844?-1891 -- Photographs.
Ingalls, George W., 1838-1921 -- Photographs.
Joseph, Nez Percé Chief, 1840-1904 -- Photographs.
Journeycake, Charles, 1817-1894 -- Photographs.
Montezuma, Carlos, 1866-1923 -- Photographs.
Newlands, Francis G. (Francis Griffith), 1848-1917 -- Photographs.
Ouray, Ute Chief, approximately 1833-1880 -- Photographs.
Ross, William P. (William Potter), 1820-1891 -- Photographs.
Shanks, John P. C. (John Peter Cleaver), 1826-1901 -- Photographs.
Sitting Bull, 1831-1890 -- Photographs.
Washakie, approximately 1804-1900 -- Photographs.
Winema, Modoc Chieftainess, 1842-1932 -- Photographs.
Wovoka, approximately 1856-1932 -- Photographs.
Wright, Allen, active 1873-1880 -- Photographs.
University of Nevada, Reno -- History -- Photographs.
African Americans -- 1870-1880 -- Photographs. [TGM]
Apache Indians -- Photographs.
Arapaho Indians-- Photographs.
Arrowheads -- North America -- Photographs.
Artifacts -- Photographs.
Baptists -- Missions -- Indian Territory -- History.
Caddo Indians -- Photographs.
Cherokee Indians -- Photographs.
Cheyenne Indians -- Photographs.
Chickasaw Indians -- Photographs.
Chinook Indians – Craniology -- Photographs
Choctaw Indians -- Photographs.
Clergy -- United States -- History -- 19th century -- Photographs.
Comanche Indians -- Photographs.
Creek Indians -- Photographs.
Crow Indians -- Photographs.
Delaware Indians -- Photographs.
Delegations -- Washington (D.C.) -- 1870-1880 -- Photographs.
Delegations -- Washington (D.C.) -- 1880-1890 -- Photographs.
Expeditions & surveys -- West (U.S.) -- 1870-1890 -- Photographs.
Frontier and pioneer life -- United States -- West (U.S.) -- Photographs.
Hopi Indians -- Photographs.
Indian Territory. General Council -- Photographs.
Indians of North America -- Cultural assimilation--Indian Territory.
Indians of North America -- Education -- Photographs.
Indians of North America -- Great Basin. -- Photographs.
Indians of North America -- Great Plains. -- Photographs.
Indians of North America -- Indian Territory. -- Photographs.
Indians of North America -- Southwest, New-- Photographs.
Kiowa Indians -- Photographs.
Modoc Indians -- Photographs.
Navajo Indians -- Photographs.
Nez Perce Indians -- Photographs.
Off-reservation boarding schools -- Photographs.
Ojibwa Indians -- Photographs.
Osage Indians -- Photographs.
Ottawa Indians --Photographs.
Paiute Indians -- Photographs.
Pawnee Indians -- Photographs.
Ponca Indians -- Photographs.
Pueblo Indians -- Photographs.
Sac & Fox Nation, Oklahoma -- Photographs.
School children -- Photographs.
Seminole Indians -- Oklahoma -- Photographs.
Shoshoni Indians- - Photographs.
Sioux Nation -- Photographs.
Ute Indians -- Photographs.
Washoe Indians -- Photographs.
Winnebago Indians -- Photographs.
Eureka Springs (Ark.) -- History -- Photographs.
Fort Totten Indian Reservation (N.D.) -- Photographs.
Indian Territory. -- Photographs.
Nevada -- History -- Photographs.
Reno (Nev.) -- History -- Photographs.
Walpi (Ariz.) -- Photographs.
Truckee River (Calif. and Nev.). -- Photographs.
United States. Office of Indian Affairs. Osage Agency. -- Photographs.
United States. Office of Indian Affairs. Pine Ridge Agency. -- Photographs.
United States. Office of Indian Affairs. Union Agency. -- Photographs.
Glass negatives.
Photographs.
Cartes-de-visite.
Stereographs.
Portraits.
Ephemera.
Barry, D. F. (David Francis), 1854-1934, photographer.
Bell, C. M. (Charles Milton), approximately 1849-1893, photographer.
Brady, Mathew B., approximately 1823-1896, photographer.
Gentile, Carlo, 1835-1893, photographer.
Hillers, John K., 1843-1925, photographer.
Moorhouse, Lee, 1850-1926, photographer.
Randall, A. F. (A. Frank), photographer.
Savage, C. R. (Charles Roscoe), 1832-1909, photographer.
Shindler, A. Zeno (Antonio Zeno), 1823-1899, photographer.
Vroman, A.C. ( Adam Clark), 1856-1916, photographer.