Not Sweating the Small Stuff

Ethnicity in 'Life' Magazine in the C19 - Wallace G Levison and Others

Native American Kiowa boy, Lone Bear (Tarlow) lying on animal skin rug, dressed as Osage [?] (1870)

In the archive, I found only a handful of non-Caucasian images - sign of the times of course.

Of African Americans, there are mainly images of manual work, or blacks embedded in a wider white community in some form or other, such as in the following ...

A young black boy pulling reins of a horse drawn coach, owned by Surf Ave Stage Co, alongside the boardwalk at Coney Island (1884)

Civil War Portrait of Taylor, a black drummer boy, 78th Regiment, US Colored Infantry, during Civil War (1861)

First African American to actually serve in Congress Hiram R. Revels (1870)

There are a very few exceptions, such that of a woman, presumably at home, putting out her washing.

A colored woman hanging laundry in the backyard of farm-like home (1889)

For me, this image is one of the most effecting in the collection - as it just presents the woman in her real everyday life at home and within her own culture.

Native Americans are mainly approached in the ethnographic mode of the period ...

Native American Indian family from Southeastern ID reservation, wearing tribal vestments (1897)

Native American Indian from Southeastern ID reservation, standing on handcrafted rug and wearing tribal vestments (1897)

Native American Indian from Southeastern ID reservation, wearing tribal vestments (1897)

Native American silversmith from Navajo tribe sitting with his wares (1870)

... with only occasional hints at anything other ...

Asa-to-yet, Native American Comanche chief, sitting w. arms crossed & gun in hand (1870) Photographer: Will Soule

Paiute Indian chief Tau Gu standing with American explorer geologist Major John Wesley Powell near Rio Virgin River (1873)

Too soon for this reprise post ... but I couldn't stop myself!

I was in fact spurred on by recalling something from the film 'The History Boys'.

It was the observation by the older gay teacher that it was only in the late C19 that the names of ordinary soldiers were publicly recorded to be remembered.

So, in the context of this archive, I was more than a bit surprised to see the name of the black drummer boy recorded ('Taylor') as early as 1861.