Indian Scout. Albumen boudoir card. N.p., n.d. Period ink title on mount recto lower margin.

A striking image of a double-armed Native American scout on horseback, scrutinizing the photographer. In uniform, the scout’s rifle is resting in a saddle holster while a pistol is positioned in the holster of his belt. Additional horses and other Native Americans can be seen in the background of trees. 

In 1866, under President Andrew Johnson, Congress authorized the enlistment of up to 1,000 Native Americans to serve as scouts to combat tribes who had taken up arms against white Americans who were imposing on their lands. With army populations decimated by the Civil War, the Native scouts served as useful recruits, utilizing their knowledge of terrain and the fighting strategies of rival tribes to assist in U.S. interests. Scouts originated from the Pawnee, Apache, Crow, Shoshone, and Tonkawa tribes. 

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