Timothy H. O’Sullivan. Wheeler Survey, northern New Mexico. 1874.

Stereoview portrait of Shee-zah-nan-tan standing before an adobe building with a long gun held in both hands. His clothing includes a heavily fringed shirt, decorated leggings, and moccasins; his hair falls in two braids, with an ornament at his forehead. Dark robes or blankets are spread behind his legs, and the open doorway throws his figure into relief.

The yellow mount is imprinted “Expedition of 1874” and names Lieutenant George M. Wheeler of the Corps of Engineers as commander. The reverse carries the War Department’s printed survey heading and credits “T. H. O’Sullivan, Photo.” Numbered 42 and captioned “Shee-zah-nan-tan, Jicarilla Apache Brave in characteristic costume, Northern New Mexico.”

Shee-zah-nan-tan is identified in the expedition’s original caption as a Jicarilla Apache warrior. Smithsonian records place the portrait at Abiquiú, New Mexico, possibly at the Indian agency, but provide little further biographical information.

O’Sullivan, whose earlier work included Civil War battlefield photography, made the portrait while accompanying one of the great federal surveys of the American West. Wheeler’s expedition combined scientific inquiry with military and economic objectives, mapping routes and gathering information about the resources and inhabitants of lands coming under increasing federal control. For the Jicarilla, the photograph’s date coincided with a precarious effort to secure a homeland. In March 1874, President Grant reserved a tract along the San Juan River for their use, only to revoke the order and restore the land to the public domain in 1876. Their present reservation was established in 1887, thirteen years after Shee-zah-nan-tan stood before O’Sullivan’s camera.