Crazy Bear Elder Sioux Native American Frank Fiske 1930s Real Photo Postcard
The portrait depicts an individual identified as Crazy Bear of the Sioux (Lakota) nation, a common subject for photographers working on or near reservations in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These portraits captured Indigenous leaders, warriors, and everyday individuals, often reflecting the specific cultural regalia and distinct identities within their communities, serving as both personal mementos and commercial items.
The image was captured by Frank Fiske, a notable photographer whose extensive body of work documented the Lakota people of the Standing Rock Indian Reservation from the late 1890s through the mid-20th century. Fiske lived much of his life among the Lakota, and his photographs offer a significant historical archive of individual lives and cultural traditions during a transformative era of forced assimilation and the establishment of the reservation system.
The image was captured by Frank Fiske, a notable photographer whose extensive body of work documented the Lakota people of the Standing Rock Indian Reservation from the late 1890s through the mid-20th century. Fiske lived much of his life among the Lakota, and his photographs offer a significant historical archive of individual lives and cultural traditions during a transformative era of forced assimilation and the establishment of the reservation system.
