Figure003

Citation

Unknown Photographer. “Two Warriors.” circa 1850. Greg French Collection. Mirror of Race, 11 Feb. 2021, mirrorofrace.bc.edu/items/show/237. Accessed 30 Apr. 2024.

Title

Two Warriors

Subject

Unknown

Creator

Unknown Photographer

Date

circa 1850

Type

Staged Studio Scene

Identifier

Figure003

Rights Holder

Greg French Collection

Original Format

Daguerreotype

Physical Dimensions

Half Plate (4.25 x 5.5 inches)

Factual Commentary

Very little is known about this image, although based on the style of the mat and case, it probably dates from the early to mid-1850s. We hope that further research will tell us more about the two warriors portrayed. The posed scene of physical combat is quite rare for an early photograph, as action shots were virtually impossible to take; these two subjects would have had to hold still in this pose for many seconds, perhaps even a minute.

Interpretive Commentary

Although we do not know much about this photograph, the size of the image (a Half Plate (4.25 x 5.5 inches) daguerreotype) means it would have been quite expensive at the time (the early 1850s). This, combined with the fact that it is a dramatically posed studio portrait, suggests that the photographer may have made this photograph for display as promotion for the studio. Apart from the mystery of who the two men were, this photograph raises a number of questions. For example, how did these two Native Americans in full regalia come to be in a formal studio setting, possibly in a city? Were they ambassadors from their tribe, for example, who were invited by the photographer to have their portrait taken while they passed through or stayed in town on their mission? Was the combat pose something chosen by the subjects of the photograph, or was it suggested to them by the photographer, as a way to play to expectations of whites that the "Indians" were a savage race?

Alternative Title

Collection

Mirror of Race