NEW MEXICO AND ARIZONA ORIGINAL1890's PHOTOS
n.p. n.p., 1897. Hardcover. Very Good. Item #2406027.2
16 ORIGINAL ALBUMEN PHOTOGRAPHS CIRCA 1895-1900 TAKEN IN NEW MEXICO AND ARIZONA TERRITORIES by or attributed to the noted photographer, Ben Wittick. It is possible that his one-time business partner, A. Frank Randall, made some of these images, but we think not; see descriptions below. 4 5/8" x 6 5/8" each. This remarkable group presents a variety of locations, scenes, and people. All 16 are affixed to "Kodak Photographs" album card stock sheets 9 5/8" x 12 ½" with a cloth hinge for each page or sheet. It is reported that Wittick created a few albums of a similar nature, although those recorded contain smaller sized photos. Descriptions, in brief (I am using numbers for separation of description only): (1) School photo of nuns and female students at Loretta Indian School, Bernalillo, NM; (2) School photo of male students with teacher, location unidentified (on the blackboard is written: "By Señor Don L J Berea"); (3) underexposed interior photo of a wedding party with bride exquisitely dressed; (4) overexposed "Shearing in New Mexico" outdoor scene; (5 & 6) Estatua de Quahutomoc and also Plaza de la Constitucion, y Catedral (these two have info printed on them. It is recorded that Wittick traveled to this location in Mexico; (7 & 8) two fabulous images of a white man dressed in buckskin beside a Native American woman dressed in a lovely dress and robe. Both are wearing squash blossom necklaces and silver conch belts. A horse is standing behind them in one photo. They are a couple, but are just barely holding hands in one of the two photos. He has his hand around her shoulder in the other photos. The woman is clearly uncertain or unhappy about something in both, perhaps because her photo is being taken which for many Native Americans at the times was a threat to their soul or personhood. EXCELLENT exposure and contrast on these two; (9) four women in a library, unknown location; (10) faded photo identified in the public auction and museum record as "Snake Dance of the Moquis, Walpi Village, Arizona." (11) rock building, location unknown, with group of Native Americans, a priest, and at least a couple of white people, all standing together. WITTICK IS SEATED AWAY FROM THE GROUP AND IS EASILY IDENTIFIED; (12) cluster of buildings large and small beside a river, location unknown. Rock cliff above them is similar to Kearns Canyon; (13) group of 4 photos of two priests in formal street suits, and a couple of military men wearing different styles of uniforms. Each of these photos presents a different combination of the four men. They are variously hamming it with their weapons as if they were teenagers in one photo. In another, an individual is playing a guitar. In three of them a military sun helmet of the period is being worn as part of the uniform dress. In our search of all the museum and historical locations that house Wittick photographs, including the 1,183 images in the New Mexico Digital Collections archive, we found only the Snake Dance photo, an original print of which sold at auction in 2021 for around $400. Extensive information may be found on Ben Wittick on the internet. One photo has a minor corner chip, else no chips or tears on any in the group. One Kodak page is cracked in the corner and has been minimally stabilized with archival filmoplast tape. A splendid group of exceptional and almost entirely unrecorded candid, posed, and descriptive photos. Rare.
Price: $4,000.00