Carte-de-Visite of Three Meskwaki Subjects in Mixed Attire, c. 1860s

Tama County: J.L. Hudson, 1860. Carte-de-visite photograph measuring 3 ½ x 2 ¼ inches on larger mount. Semi-legible ID on lower portion of image in pencil, some normal wear, very good overall. Very Good. An early and interesting image of Meskwaki subjects seated in a studio setting, likely taken in the 1860s or early 1870s in the CDV era. The subjects wear what appears to be a mix of traditional and western dress, with short haircuts and a Euro-American style hat in the background. The scene appears to be staged, with what looks to be hay underneath the subjects and one of the subjects looking at his hands. Joseph L. Hudson (1828-1906), who operated a studio in Tama, was the photographer. Later examples of Hudson’s work are held at the Denver Art Museum.