William H. Jacoby (1841-1906), photographer. Camp of the Dacotas, Dacotah Territory. Outdoor portrait. Albumen stereoview. Minneapolis, Minnesota: W.H. Jacoby, [late 1860s-1870s]. View title inscribed to mount recto. Jacoby's imprint affixed to verso with title and series titles "Jacoby's Minnesota and Foreign Views." 

An engaging and intimate ethnographic camp scene capturing three Dakota or Lakota women and children seated at the open entry of a canvas tipi in a wooded clearing. In the foreground at left sits a massive set of weathered elk antlers, alongside camp tools, trade kettles, and calico bedding. The seated figures are dressed in patterned shirts, dark skirts, and trade blankets, offering an authentic glimpse of reservation-era domestic life on the Northern Plains.

William H. Jacoby (1841-1906) was an Ohio native who moved to Minneota and operated a large photographic gallery at Bridge Square from 1867 until he retired in 1887, working with both his brother and later his son beginning in the mid 1880s. He is best known for his views of the Minneapolis vicinity, including Lake Minnetonka, and for exceedingly fine portraiture. 

[Native Americans, Lakota, Dakota, Sioux, Plains Indians, Dakota Territory, Upper Missouri, Tipi, Encampment, Elk Antlers, Red River Cart, Trade Blankets, Calico, American West, Frontier History] [Photography, Early Photography, Historic Photography, Stereoviews, Stereographs, Albumen Prints, Stanley J. Morrow, Orlando S. Goff, Whitney and Zimmerman, Western Photographers]

Very good condition overall, displaying warm sepia tones, pleasing contrast, and sharp detail throughout the tipi construction, figures, and surrounding timber. The yellow card mount remains flat and structurally sound, showing light corner softening, faint peripheral soiling, and minor handling wear consistent with age.