Lot 25843: [ Americana ] Photography: Original Albumen Photo of the Aftermath of Wounded Knee. A 7.25in x 4.25in photo by George Trager mounted to an 8.5in x 5in card published by the Northwestern Photographic Co. of Chaldron, Nebraska as noted on the verso.

[ Americana ] Photography: Original Albumen Photo of the Aftermath of Wounded Knee. A 7.25in x 4.25in photo by George Trager mounted to an 8.5in x 5in card published by the Northwestern Photographic Co. of Chaldron, Nebraska as noted on the verso. The Massacre at Wounded Knee is often regarded as the final episode in the conquest of the North American Indian. In 1889-1890 a new religion called the Ghost Dance movement persuaded many Indians to take up arms and reclaim their heritage. Federal military intervention quelled the rebellion. The Lakota Sioux had decided to surrender to the 7th Cavalry and their weapons had been stacked. On December 29, 1890, as the soldiers attempted to disarm the last warrior, Black Coyote (who was likely deaf or hearing-impaired), a weapon was discharged and a trooper was killed. Chaos ensued. Soldiers rushed to their huge Hotchkiss guns and fired at the Indians, killing more than 200 men, women, and children. Thirty soldiers also died. This photo was taken of the battlefield a few days later and shows a group of soldiers standing among the dead bodies still on the snowy ground. It was not until the spring thaw that all the Sioux dead were buried in a mass grave. This photo is in fine condition, with only a bit of water staining, mostly in the borders, and some erased notations on the verso worth noting. Ads on the back promise a cure for epilepsy and offer more views from Wounded Knee.