Group of three (3) oval studio and field portraits of Hunkpapa Lakota and allied prisoners of war held at Fort Randall.

1. Sitting Bull. Three-quarter length seated studio portrait of Sitting Bull. Albumen cabinet card. Fort Randall, Dakota Territory: Bailey, Dix & Mead, 1882. Copyright printed to mount recto. Publisher's imprint printed alongside biographical and series information to mount verso.

A refined portrait of  Sitting Bull (Tȟatȟáŋka Íyotake, ca. 1831–1890) seated in a light tunic, long braids framing his face, and holding a calumet across his lap. The portrait was taken and published during his incarceration as a prisoner of war at Fort Randall (1881-1883). 

Renowned for leading the Hunkpapa Lakota in resistance against the United States government, Sitting Bull lived a life in defiance of the imposition of white society on Native land. Particularly after the native triumph at the Battle of the Little Bighorn, Sitting Bull sought to keep his band free of government influence, evading the U.S. Army until a lack of resources and food brought Sitting Bull to surrender. With fears that his presence at Standing Rock Reservation would inspire an uprising, Sitting Bull and his people would be held as prisoners at Fort Randall for two years before finally rejoining their tribe.

Later, still suspicious of his influence as a spiritual leader, and with the growing "Ghost Dance" movement gaining traction throughout the reservations, authorities would decide to detain Sitting Bull yet again. On the morning of 15 December 1890, Lakota police officers would arrive at Sitting Bull's cabin, ending his life with a bullet through the head. Despite their attempts to quell the leader's influence, Sitting Bull’s legacy would henceforth remain an inspiration and symbol of fearless defiance for the Lakota people. 

2. Steps. Full-length seated studio portrait of Steps. Albumen cabinet card. Fort Randall, Dakota Territory: Bailey, Dix & Mead, 1882. Copyright printed to mount recto. Publisher's imprint printed alongside biographical and series information to mount verso.

Steps, a Nez Perce warrior who had escaped the 1877 Bear Paw battlefield, joined Sitting Bull in Canada, and suffered devastating frostbite that claimed his feet and right hand. Shown kneeling beside a rustic side table, Steps is dressed in a long coat with his frostbitten hand and feet bound. 

3. One Bull. Full-length seated studio albumen portrait of One Bull. Fort Randall, Dakota Territory: Bailey, Dix & Mead, 1882. Copyright printed to mount recto. Publisher's imprint printed alongside biographical and series information to mount verso.

One Bull (Tȟatȟáŋka Waŋžíla, ca. 1853–1947), Sitting Bull's nephew and adopted son who fought at the Little Bighorn, wearing a multi-strand choker, dentalium-decorated shirt, and holding a quirt.

Following their surrender at Fort Buford in July 1881, after years in Canadian exile, Sitting Bull and nearly two hundred followers were transferred down the Missouri River to Fort Randall, Dakota Territory. Held as prisoners of war until May 1883, their presence attracted considerable public interest. The printed biographical sketches on the versos offer rare period accounts written from the perspective of the military post, detailing the subjects' ages, family connections, physical measurements, and roles in northern Plains conflicts.

In 1882, post sutler and photographic team Bailey, Dix & Mead (comprising G. S. Bailey, W. R. Dix, and C. H. Mead) secured exclusive permission from post commander Colonel George L. Andrews to photograph Sitting Bull's encampment. The resulting 24-card series provided the definitive photographic record of the Lakota leader's internment and stands among the most celebrated ethnographic and historical photographic series produced in the nineteenth-century American West. The cards offered here represent Nos. 1, 3, and 7 from the series of 24 views. 

[Native Americans, Lakota, Sioux, Hunkpapa, Sitting Bull, One Bull, Steps, Nez Perce, Fort Randall, Dakota Territory, American West, Indian Wars, Great Sioux War, Battle of the Little Bighorn, Prisoners of War] [Photography, Early Photography, Historic Photography, Albumen Photographs, Cabinet Cards, Bailey Dix & Mead, Frontier Photographers]

Overall very good condition with strong contrast, clear tonality, and minimal surface wear across the trio. Mounts remain flat and structurally sound with sharp, legible versos, and only faint corner softening and light handling soil.