Lot 482: American Indian Cabinet Card, Geronimo w/ Dance Revolver, W.E. Irwin, Plus Postcard

Item 1: William Irwin cabinet photograph on cardstock mount that shows the elderly Bedonkohe Apache leader Geronimo (1829-1909) with eagle feather headdress, fringed buckskin shirt, and Confederate Dance Brothers, Texas, revolver. Embossed blind stamp to card, lower margin, reads “Addison, Fort Sill O.T.” (Oklahoma Territory). 6 1/2 in. H x 4 1/4 in. W. Early-20th century. Item 2: Postcard with related image of Geronimo with text that reads “‘Pawnee Bills’ Old Town 2 Miles West of Pawnee Okla. Highway 64” and “Geronimo Chief of the Apache Indians Arizona [sic] 1880.” With Roger Glenn Taylor, Oklahoma City, OK stamp to verso. 5 7/8 in. H x 3 1/8 in.W. Note: Geronimo was held at Fort Sill as a prisoner of war from 1894 until his death in 1909. He was permitted to tour with Pawnee Bill’s Wild West Show under Army guard. Biographical Note: William E. Irwin was born in Red Oak, Missouri, in 1871. It is believed he learned photography in Indian Territory or Texas in the early 1890s. Irwin operated photography studios first in Chickasha, Indian Territory, and later in Silver City and Bisbee, Arizona, where he operated a studio from 1904 to 1922. In 1922, he opened a studio in Douglas, Arizona, which he operated until his death in 1935. (Source: Carl Mautz, Biographies of Western Photographers [Nevada City, CA: Carl Mautz Publishing, 1997])

CONDITION: 1st item with crease lines to upper left, into upper headdress, 1 1/2 inches long, and to center right, into shoulder and neck, 2 inches long. Scattered spots of dampstaining thoughouout, primarily outside of figure, largest to center let, in background and lower part of headress. Cardstock with losses and areas of thinning plus accretions, soiling, and creases. Second item with red grid stamp with numbering to face and spot of dampstaining to upper left, in background, along with primarily marginal creases plus dogears to corners and pinhole to upper center, in margin.