[Carte-de-Visite of a Comanche Woman]

Fort Sill, I.T.: W.S. Soule, 1874. Very good.. Sepia-toned carte-de-visite photograph, 3.75 x 2.25 inches, on a slightly larger mount with studio imprint on verso. Minor dust-soiling and surface wear. An excellent studio portrait of a "Comanche Woman," identified as such through a manuscript caption on the verso. Another contemporary manuscript caption is written on the back in French: "Femme de la triba des Commanche rouge comme des briques de figure." This translates roughly to "Comanche woman with face as red as bricks." The image comes from the famous series of portraits made at Fort Sill by noted western photographer William S. Soule. His studio imprint on the verso reads: "W.S. Soule, Fort Sill, Indian Territory. Photographs of Indian Celebrities, Stereoscopic Views, Etc." The present photograph is a powerful portrait of a Comanche woman, capturing her in a moment of stillness that reflects the resilience and dignity of Native American culture during a period of profound change and cultural upheaval for Plains Indians. According to the noted book-length study of Soule by Russell E. Belous and Robert A. Weinstein: "For 150 years, since they had first come down from the north, at first alone and later with the aid of their Kiowa allies, the Comanche had been the lords of the Southern Plains. They had fought the Texans, made off with their cattle, burned their homes, and effectively made their own lands unsafe for the white intruder. They had fought and beaten the Ute, Pawnee, Osage, Apache, and Navajo." But by 1874, "the Comanche were finally beaten; they were placed in a concentration camp, and once a day a wagon pulled up by the walls and hunks of raw meat were pitched over the fence…. The cultural change demanded of the Comanche was too rapid and too great for simple adjustment." The present photograph does not appear in Belous & Weinstein.

William S. Soule (1836-1908) began his career in photography after being discharged from the Union army due to a severe wound suffered at Antietam. His poor health left him with few options for a career, but after a short apprenticeship in a photo studio in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, Soule was determined to make it as a photographer. He could have joined his brother, John, already installed as a photographer in Boston, but a doctor suggested William go west for his health. After a short few years at Fort Dodge, Kansas, Soule arrived at Fort Sill as late as early 1870, though he may have made a brief visit in the fall of 1869. He remained until 1874, taking pictures of numerous Indian captives, army life, and local scenery. Sometime in 1873, John Soule copyrighted a selection of the Fort Sill images on his brother's behalf. William Soule returned to Boston in 1875, established a studio, and offered prints of his "Indian celebrities" for sale.