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CUSTER SCOUT “CURLY” CABINET CARD – BOZEMAN,
MONTANA PHOTOGRAPHER – ICONIC LITTLE BIG HORN IMAGE:
One of the most sought after subjects among the
participants of the Battle of the Little Big Horn, this
is an excellent cabinet card image of Curly, one of the
Crow scouts assigned to the 7TH Cavalry.
Born sometime between 1856 and 1859 in the area of the
Little Rosebud River, Montana, Curly’s (also seen
spelled Curley) proper name in his native Crow language
has been variously recorded as Ashishishe, and
Shishi'esh, - as well as others – and is said to
translate as "the Crow". In his late teens, Curly had
already participated in several armed encounters with
the Sioux when he enlisted as a scout with Colonel John
Gibbon in April 1876. Assigned to the 7TH
Cavalry, Curly joined the other scouts accompanying the
column led by Lt. Col. George A. Custer.
Having been ordered from the column before Custer’s
soldiers made contact with Sioux and Cheyenne village,
Curly and the other Crow scouts did not participate in
the battle. How- ever, he apparently witnessed the
battle at some distance, for some two days later he
arrived at the “Far West”, a steamboat serving in
support of the campaign which was located at the
confluence of the Bighorn and Little Bighorn Rivers, and
Curly was the first to report the disaster. While he
made no claims to have participated in the battle, his
first account was later determined to be quite accurate,
confirming his presence on the field.
As the years passed, a version of Curly’s participation
began to evolve that had him as an active participant in
the battle. Eventually, hounded by historians and the
press, he seems to have decided to give them what they
were seeking, and he embellished his role to suit their
tastes. In other cases, historians simply revised his
story themselves to suit their theories of the battle.
It should be no surprise that the backlash resulting
from these conflicting reports landed in Curly’s lap and
he was labeled as an outright liar. As most of us know
today, the first mistake you make when dealing with the
press is when you open your mouth, but Curly didn’t have
the benefit of our experience. Modern Little Big Horn
historians generally regard Curly’s initial report of
the battle as true and accurate, and he is considered to
be probably the last member of Custer’s column to see
him alive.
Curly lived out the later years of his life on the Crow
Reservation on the banks of the Little Bighorn River, in
close proximity to the scene of the famous battle. He
was a police officer for the reservation, was married
twice, and had one daughter. Beginning in 1920, Curly
received a pension for his service to the U.S. Army, and
he died on May 21ST, 1923 due to pneumonia.
He was buried two days later at the National Cemetery at
the Little Big Horn Battlefield National Monument.
Frank Jay Haynes (1853 –1921), a professional
photographer, from Minnesota, made a significant
contribution to the history of the American West by
documenting the settlement and early history of the
Northern Plains. During his career he was the official
photographer of the Northern Pacific Railway and
Yellowstone National Park. Haynes bought a Pullman Rail
Car in 1885, had it outfitted as a rolling studio, and
operated it as a successful enterprise until 1905.
Haynes’ photographs were well published in periodicals
and books of the day, and survive today as one of the
most valued collections of images of the period.
By
comparing this image to another image taken by Haynes of
Curly in 1883 where he appears to be the same age and is
dressed in the same white shirt, same scarf secured at
the throat with the mirror, what appears to be the same
otter fur wraps on his braids, and wrapped in the same
buffalo robe decorated with a classic Crow beaded strip,
it is extremely likely this image was taken during the
same period, perhaps at the same sitting, which would
date this image to within 7 years of the Battle of the
Little Big Horn.
This cabinet card, measuring 6 ½” by 4 ¼”, is legibly
backmarked with the advertising callout of the Haynes
Studio Company, indicating it was a product of Hanyes’
private railroad studio car. The cabinet card is in
excellent condition with no damage or fading to the
image and the card is is full form with no damage to the
edges.
This is a very historical image, taken when the
survivors of that fateful day on the Little Big Horn
were still front page news and certainly were
celebrities in their own right. In excellent condition,
this cabinet card will be a significant addition to your
Indian War collection.
SOLD
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