Idaho Indian Mary And Her Children Real Photo Postcard
This early 20th-century real photo postcard captures a Native American woman, identified as "Indian Mary," with her children in Idaho, posed before a tipi. While the claim of "Age 130 years" is highly improbable and likely an embellishment common in early commercial photography, the image provides a visual record of Indigenous individuals and aspects of their material culture, including traditional dress and adornment, during a period of significant cultural transition.
The postcard offers a glimpse into the lives of Native American families in Idaho, a region historically inhabited by various tribes such as the Nez Perce, Shoshone, and Coeur d'Alene, who faced immense pressures from westward expansion and federal policies in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Such photographic documentation, often produced for a broad public, contributes to the historical understanding of Indigenous peoples in the American West and their perseverance amidst profound societal changes.
The postcard offers a glimpse into the lives of Native American families in Idaho, a region historically inhabited by various tribes such as the Nez Perce, Shoshone, and Coeur d'Alene, who faced immense pressures from westward expansion and federal policies in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Such photographic documentation, often produced for a broad public, contributes to the historical understanding of Indigenous peoples in the American West and their perseverance amidst profound societal changes.
