John Carbutt (1832-1905), photographer. 311. Indian domestic life in the Pawnee Village. Outdoor group portrait. Series, "Views of the Rocky Mountains and Vicinity." Albumen stereoview. [Chicago?]: John Carbutt, [late 1860s-1870s]. Series & view titles with photographer's imprint to mount recto. Publisher's 125 Washington St. imprint stamped to verso. 

An exceptional ethnographic field view capturing daily life in the Pawnee village in Nebraska. A group of Pawnee men and women stand wrapped in trade blankets and traditional attire outside the thatched, timber-framed entryway of a massive earthlodge structure. In the foreground, a figure stands facing away, carrying an infant secured inside a traditional cradleboard with trade cloth and fur trim. Along the roofline and adjacent drying racks behind the group, rows of sliced squash or pumpkin and corn hang drying in the sun, illustrating traditional Pawnee agricultural and preservation practices.

The image is tentatively located to Kit-ka-lahka (Loup Fork Village) at the Loup Fork of the Platte River in Nebraska. Prior to their forced removal to Indian Territory (Oklahoma) in 1874-1875, the Pawnee Nation maintained major permanent agricultural villages along the Loup River near Genoa, Nebraska. These settlements were characterized by large, dome-shaped timber-and-sod earthlodges that housed extended families and served as the center of Pawnee social and ceremonial life. 

John Carbutt (1832-1905) moved from England to begin his photography career in Indiana and then Chicago, where he became the first photographer to develop CDVs in the city. In 1866, he was hired by the Union Pacific Railroad to document the construction reaching the 100th Meridian. It was during this excursion that he captured the daily lives of the Pawnee people. 

Possibly taken by Carbutt during his photographic expedition in 1866 to document the construction of the transcontinental railroad as it reached the 100th Meridian. In addition to documenting the progress of the railway, he took images of the local vicinity, including the Pawnee people. 

[Native Americans, Pawnee, Nebraska, Pawnee Village, Genoa Agency, Earthlodges, Cradleboard, Traditional Agriculture, Drying Racks, Plains Indians, Loup River, American West] [Photography, Early Photography, Historic Photography, Stereoviews, Stereographs, Albumen Prints, John Carbutt, Western Photographers]

Very good condition with strong tonal range, sharp detail, and minimal surface wear. The yellow card mount remains flat and structurally sound, showing only light age toning and faint pencil markings along the upper margin of the verso.