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This cabinet card of two Kiowa girls, identified as daughters of the chief Stumbling Bear, was made by William P. Bliss in Indian Territory in the late 1870s. Bliss was a photographer in the 1860s, 1870s and perhaps 1880s who is known to have worked in Kansas, Indian Territory, and New Mexico. Following his discharge from the Army, Bliss opened a photographic business in Topeka in 1864 or 1865. By 1870, he had moved his family to the Wichita area, where he both farmed and worked as a photographer. From there, he went to Indian Territory, first to the Cheyenne Agency at Darlington in late 1874 or early 1875, and soon thereafter to Fort Sill. By 1878 or 1879 Bliss had moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico. This cabinet card was an early donation to the Historical Society. Its accession date of March 29, 1878, means the photograph was likely made in the 1875-1877 period. The cabinet card carries no photographer's imprint, but the accession information attributes it to Bliss, as does the one other known example of the image.
Creator: Bliss, W. P.
Date: Between 1875 and 1877
Item Number: 304425
Call Number: E99 K5 C5 *3
KSHS Identifier: DaRT ID: 304425
Collections - Photograph
Date - 1870s
Home and Family - Clothing
Objects and Artifacts - Communication Artifacts - Documentary Artifact - Photograph - Cabinet cards
People - American Indians - Tribes - Kiowa
People - Children
Places - Other States - Indian Territory
Places - Other States - Oklahoma - Fort Sill
Type of Material - Photographs
http://www.kansasmemory.org/item/304425