It
seems to me that it could be made at some treaty negotiations
(maybe at an agency) between the Sioux and Ponca. The
indians in the back row look like Sioux, the men in
the front row like Ponca. I assume the second person
sitting from right (with a bearclaw necklace) is Standing
Bear, the principal chief of the Ponca.
The
photograph reminds me of pictures by Stanley J. Morrow,
who often used blockhouses as background for his photo
setting.
If you can, please compare the photo with illustrations
by Morrow in “Frontier Photographer” by Hurt/Lass, especially
the Standing Bear portrait (with bearclaw necklace and
short hair) and portraits of Ponca halfbreeds, who look
very similar to the men in the front row (including bandana
turban).
Stanley
J. Morrow moved to the Dakota frontier in 1868. For the
next fifteen years he was active as a photographer, most
of his photographs were produced in the 1870s. In my opinion
the ebay photo could be made in this period.
Here
are some of the said Morrow photos:
Standing Bear, Ponca Chief
Antone,
Chief of the Ponca Half-breeds
Unknown
Ponca Warrior
Big
Breast Plate, Sioux
(From
Wesley Hurt/William Lass: Frontier Photographer -
Stanley J. Morrow Dakota Years, University of Nebraska
Press and University of South Dakota, 1956)
—
Dietmar Schulte-Möhring