Existing comment:
Appanoose [Opponoos] or the Children's Chief
The daguerreotype -- the first practical form of photography -- sparked a revolution in picture-making when it was introduced to the public in 1839. The first daguerreian portrait studio in the United States opened in 1840, and within a few years daguerreotypists were plying their trade throughout the nation. This portrait was made in St. Louis, Missouri, by Thomas Easterly, who photographed Chief Appanoose and other members of the Sac and Maequakie (Fox) tribes when they visited the city in 1847. In addition to his bear-claw necklace, the chief wears the Martin Van Buren peace medal that he received during his 1837 visit to Washington DC.
Thomas Easterly, 1847 |