Wounded Knee Albumen Print of "Burial of the Dead", Jan. 1, 1891

An original albumen print taken on New Year's Day 1891, immediately after the Wounded Knee Massacre. Measuring 8.5" x 6.5", Chadron, Nebraska, dated January 1, 1891. Taken by Northwestern Photo Company, whose outfit was well known for documenting the aftermath of the massacre. The photograph shows the mass grave that was dug to bury the Lakota dead after the massacre. Captioned "Burial of the Dead at the Battle of Wounded Knee S.D." With ads on the verso for the Northwestern Photo Co. and for an epilepsy cure. The image is toned, with foxing, staining, and soiling at the edges. Slight age yellowing. Bumped and worn corners of the mat. Very good condition.

The Battle of Wounded Knee, also known as the Wounded Knee Massacre, was the deadliest mass shooting in American history when nearly three hundred Lakota people were shot and killed by soldiers of the United States Army. As white settlers pushed for westward expansion their claim plots of land were met with fierce and sometimes violent resistance from indigenous peoples. Hostilities were furthered as the U.S. federal government repeatedly signed and violated treaties with various Plains tribal leaders. The Treaty of Fort Laramie in 1868 established the 60-million-acre Great Sioux Reservation, but government interest in natural resources on the reservation resulted in a series of conflicts that saw the Great Sioux Reservation shrink from 60 million acres to 21.7 million acres by 1877. The massacre near Wounded Knee Creek was the climax of the U.S. Army’s efforts to repress the Plains Indians.

On the morning of December 29, 1891, U.S. Cavalry troops went into the Lakota camp to disarm the inhabitants. What precisely triggered the shooting is hotly debated - some accounts claim that Black Coyote, a deaf tribesman, refused to give up his rifle and in the struggle, his rifle discharged. Others maintained that Black Coyote had intended to relinquish his gun but was grabbed from behind, which set the gun off. Regardless of what triggered the firefight, the U.S. Army began shooting at the Lakota people, many of whom had already been stripped of their guns and disarmed. By the time the massacre was over, more than 250 men, women, and children of the Lakota had been killed and 51 were wounded. After the fact, nineteen soldiers were awarded the Medal of Honor specifically for Wounded Knee. In 1990, both houses of the U.S. Congress passed a resolution on the historical centennial of the event formally expressing "deep regret" for the massacre. In 2001, the National Congress of American Indians passed two resolutions condemning the military awards and called on the federal government to rescind them.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

WE PROVIDE IN-HOUSE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE!