(Custer, Major General George Armstrong) (Powers, D. R., photographer). Antique Stereograph (Stereoview) Titled "No. 6. Gen. Custar [sic] and Spotted Tail at the Grand Duke's Mess Tent." Omaha, Nebraska: E. L. Eaton, Photographer, [January, 1872]. A pair of dome-topped, 3-1/8" x 3" albumen photographs on the original yellow stiff card E. L. Eaton mount measuring 3-3/8" x 6-15/16". Verso with printed title, E. L. Eaton imprint, and "D. R. Powers, Operator" credit.
The physical condition of this stereoview is graded (8/10) - VERY FINE (utilizing a standardized 10-point scale for photographic prints and original works of art, indicating mild or moderate condition issues visible only under very close inspection or under raking light). The yellow card mount remains structurally sound, rigid, and clean, with minimal softening at the native corner tips. A small vintage paper inventory sticker is affixed near the top left corner of the mount recto. The albumen prints retain excellent tonal contrast, deep rich sepia values, and their original surface gloss, exhibiting only the mild, uniform aging captured under close inspection.
Provenance: The William M. Lentz, Jr. Collection; Swann Galleries, Photographs, April 19, 1997, Lot 93 (original auction catalog included with the stereograph); The Larry Ness Collection of Native American Photography.
The Great Royal Buffalo Hunt of 1872 and Frontier Diplomacy
This exceptional, unrecorded variant stereoview captures a pivotal, fleeting moment of frontier diplomacy on the American plains. Taken between January 12 and 16, 1872, in Hayes County, Nebraska, the photograph documents the historic "Great Royal Buffalo Hunt" organized by General Philip Sheridan for Grand Duke Alexis Aleksandrovich of Russia. This high-profile international event brought together an extraordinary convergence of western figures, including Buffalo Bill Cody, Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer, and a prominent contingent of Brulé Lakota Sioux led by Chief Spotted Tail.
The composition features Custer seated in front of the Grand Duke's imperial mess tent, his sporting rifle propped by his side and steadied with his left hand. Standing immediately adjacent to him is Chief Spotted Tail, dressed in traditional regalia. In the background, secondary military and tribal tents complete the encampment. The hunt featured a series of competitive buffalo runs, followed by a formal powwow and war dance staged by the Sioux for the Russian delegation. This event represents one of the final peaceful diplomatic intersections between the U.S. military command and the Lakota leadership prior to the total collapse of relations and the transition to open warfare across the northern plains later in the decade.
Iconographic Documentation, Literature, and Absolute Scarcity
This specific specimen occupies a celebrated position in Custer bibliography and iconographic study. It is the exact underlying copy pictured in the definitive reference text by D. Mark Katz, Custer in Photographs (New York: Bonanza Books, 1990, p. 140), where it is formally cataloged and designated as entry K-158. At the time of publication, Katz specifically cited this exact piece as an "unpublished stereoview, courtesy of William M. Lentz, Jr."
The physical scarcity of this unpublished photographic variant is absolute. A comprehensive global census via WorldCat, the National Union Catalog, and specialized photographic archives locates no other copies of this Eaton/Powers variant preserved in any institutional or public special collection worldwide. Backed by an impeccable provenance stemming from the William M. Lentz, Jr. archives and the renowned Larry Ness Collection of Native American Photography, this artifact represents a singular opportunity for acquisition.
AN UNPUBLISHED, NATIONALLY SIGNIFICANT PHOTOGRAPHIC RECORD OF THE POST-CIVIL WAR PLAINS INDIAN WARS PERIOD, CAPTURING THE METICULOUSLY DOCUMENTED K-158 PLATES OF GEORGE ARMSTRONG CUSTER AND CHIEF SPOTTED TAIL, REPRESENTING A PARAMOUNT ACQUISITION FOR INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH ARCHIVES OR EXTRAORDINARY PRIVATE COLLECTIONS DEVOTED TO 19TH-CENTURY WESTERN AMERICANA.
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