Charles Howard (photographer)
Encyclopedia
A private in the Fourth Infantry, Charles Howard served as photographer for the Stanton Expedition in 1877, traveling throughout eastern Wyoming
, western Nebraska
and into the Black Hills
of Dakota Territory.
, Virginia
. Little is known of his early life. He is probably the Charles Howard recorded in the 1870 census in Portsmouth, Ohio.
On June 16, 1875, Howard decided to enlist in the army, going in to a recruiting office in Cleveland
, Ohio
. His enlistment papers describe the thirty-three year old man as 5 foot 5 inches tall, with hazel eyes, brown hair and a dark complexion. From Cleveland, he was sent to Newport Barracks
, Kentucky
for orientation. A musician by trade, Recruit Howard was assigned to the Fourth Infantry Band. He was sent to Fort Omaha
, Nebraska
, headquarters of the Department of the Platte
, and then left with 158 other new recruits aboard a Union Pacific train for Carter Station in southwest Wyoming. From there, the detachment of recruits marched the eleven miles south to Fort Bridger
, headquarters of the Fourth Infantry, where they arrived on the afternoon of September 10, 1875.
, traveling with the Army bound for Utah, produced at least one image of Fort Bridger in 1858. Salt Lake City photographer Charles W. Carter
came during the winter of 1866–67 and his former mentor, Charles Savage
, visited a number of times between 1866 and the early 1870s. The noted Union Pacific Railroad
photographer Andrew J. Russell
also stopped here in 1869. Census records show a photographer named Simeon Pierson at the post in 1870. Fort Bridger had a long tradition of photographers at the post.
It is not know if Private Howard had previously trained as a photographer or if he acquired his skills after arriving at Fort Bridger, but by the summer of 1876, he was actively producing photographs of the post and the surrounding area. He created landscape views of the Black River Valley and of nearby Church Buttes in the Green River
badlands, as well as views of the fort itself. He also produced portraits. Captain William H. Bisbee, Fourth Infantry, sent a payment for photographs of his child to Howard through the post trader at Fort Bridger, complaining that "they are not at all good." Two tintypes, bearing the name "C. Howard, Artistic Photographer, Fort Bridger, Wy. Ty." have survived, examples of this soldier-photographer's portraiture work.
Life for Private Howard at Fort Bridger was probably typical of the experience of most soldiers stationed at frontier posts. Private Howard's duty with the regimental band however did afford him a few privileges and an occasional opportunity to travel off the garrison. In July 1876, for example, he and other bandsmen were invited to Ogden
, Utah Territory, to perform at the town's centennial celebration. Private Howard was then granted three days leave in Salt Lake City. Here he could have obtained additional photography supplies at establishments such as the Art Bazaar, the studio of the noted photographer Charles Savage
, before returning to Fort Bridger.
Examples of Howard's Photographs From Fort Bridger, c. 1875–77
Examples of Photos by Other Photographers and Reprinted by Howard
Private Howard was detailed for duty with the expedition, departing Fort Bridger on June 27, 1877. His camera, chemicals and developing equipment were forwarded to Cheyenne shortly afterward, where the expedition assembled on July 5 to make final preparations for their departure. In Cheyenne, Howard produced his first photographs of the expedition, including a view of the Cheyenne Army Depot. From this collection of warehouses, army supplies were unloaded from rail cars and shipped overland to military posts throughout Wyoming. He also made a least four images at nearby Fort D. A. Russell
. Stanton's expedition departed on July 11, mapping the road north towards the Black Hills
.
The expedition spent two weeks at Fort Laramie and then continued north, arriving in Deadwood
on August 11. The expedition then surveyed the road west from Deadwood. Shortly after crossing into eastern Wyoming, the expedition camped near Sun Dance Hill, near present Sundance
, Wyoming. Several members of the survey part climbed to its summit and Private Howard photographed the prominent landmark. The expedition arrived at Cantonment Reno (Fort McKinney) on August 26, where Howard produced several photographs of the post and its buildings. The expedition then headed south to Fort Fetterman
. Arriving on September 4, Howard also produced images of this post. The expedition then headed south to Rock Creek Station
on the Union Pacific Railroad
and then returned to Fort Laramie.
The Stanton Expedition next traveled to Camp Robinson and the Red Cloud Agency
, arriving on September 30 just over three weeks after the famed Oglala war leader Crazy Horse
had been fatally bayonetted. Private Howard produced some of his most important images of the expedition during their four days at Camp Robinson. He appears to have also made a quick trip to nearby Camp Sheridan
and the Spotted Tail Agency.
The expedition then headed north to the Black Hills again, this time mapping the northern extension of the Sidney-Deadwood trail. They returned along another Black Hills trail, arriving back at Camp Robinson on October 25, the same day that the Oglala left the Red Cloud Agency
for their new home on the Missouri River
, escorted by two companies of the Third Cavalry
. With winter rapidly descending on the northern Great Plains, the Stanton Expedition departed Camp Robinson on October 28, heading south to Sidney Barracks through four to six inches of snow. The weary party arrived in Sidney on November 2 where Private Howard produced one of his final photographs of the expedition. After four months in the field, the soldiers had mapped some thirteen hundred miles of trails through western Nebraska, eastern Wyoming and the Black Hills of Dakota Territory. "I have made quite a collection of negatives this season," Private Howard wrote to a friend at Fort Bridger
, "but had a pretty rough trip of it."
Following the disbandment of the expedition, Private Howard was ordered to accompany Captain Stanton back to Department Headquarters in Omaha where the soldier remained for some eight months, printing his photographs. By early 1878, he had opened his own photographic studio on Douglas Street in Omaha and began selling his images as large format prints, stereoviews and carte-de-vistas. His catalog printed on the back of his stereoviews listed 78 different images for sale.
While in Omaha, Howard apparently met another photographer named D. S. Mitchell
who had recently established the Great Western Photograph Publishing Company with his partner, Joseph H. McGowan. The name of the firm soon changed from Mitchell & McGowan to Mitchell, McGowan & Company, suggesting that other photographers became part of the partnership. Based on the fact that the company began printing Howard's views as a set of 43 stereocards called "Military Posts and Indian Views", Private Howard probably joined the firm for a short time. Mitchell's photographic company broke up in the summer and fall of 1878. McGowan moved to North Platte while Mitchell opened a new portrait gallery of his own called the Bee Hive Studio on Sixteenth Street in Omaha
. Lacking funds to continue his survey of military roads, Captain Stanton decided not to attempt another summer of field work and released Private Howard from his service in Omaha, sending him back to his old regiment.
Examples of Howard's Photographs From Stanton Expedition, 1877:
Cheyenne, July 1877
Fort Laramie, July or September 1877
Black Hills, August or October 1877
Cantonment Reno/Fort McKinney, Aug. 1877
Fort Fetterman, Sept. 1877
Between Rock Creek and Fort Laramie, Sept. 1877
Camp Robinson and the Red Cloud Agency, Oct. 1877
Camp Sheridan and the Spotted Tail Agency, Oct. 1877
Sidney Barracks, Nov. 1877
near Laramie, Wyoming
. At his new assignment, Howard set up another portrait gallery and produced images for the officers, men and their families stationed at the post. He also reprinted some of Mitchell, McGowan & Company original images, suggesting that he may have kept some of the negatives when the partnership was dissolved. One surviving image bears the imprint of "Howard & Johnston, Fort Sanders, Wyoming Territory, suggesting that Howard took on a partner. This may be William J. Johnston, a Canadian who came to Wyoming in 1880 and established a portrait studio in Green River. This may be the same Johnston who later joined Charles S. Baker in Evanston, Wyoming, to produce a series of prints of Shoshone, Arapaho and Apache portraits.
Private Charles Howard completed his enlistment and was discharged from the Army in June 1880. What became of him after this currently remains a mystery. No further documentation of this soldier/photographer has yet been found.
Examples of Howard's Photographs From Fort Sanders, circa. 1878–80
Examples of Photos Reprinted by Howard
The majority of his Native American views are from the Red Cloud and Spotted Tail Agencies, located in northwestern Nebraska, taken in October 1877 while he was part of the Stanton Expedition. He produced a number of views of Indian camps as well as images of prominent Lakota leaders outside their lodge. He photographed Spotted Tail
, White Thunder and Two Strike, all prominent Brule headmen. Of the Minneconjou and Sans Arc leaders who had recently surrendered at the Spotted Tail Agency, he was able to photograph Touch the Clouds
, Red Bear and Roman Nose
. The famed Oglala war leader Crazy Horse
had been killed three weeks prior to Private Howard's visit, but the photographer did capture at least two images of Crazy Horse's scaffold grave, located on a bluff overlooking Camp Sheridan.
On his printed list of available views pasted on the back of his stereocards (circa. 1878), Howard advertised that he also had "Numerous Pictures 'Card Size' of Indians of Different Tribes." Many of these may actually be reprints of the work of other photographers.
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
, western Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
and into the Black Hills
Black Hills
The Black Hills are a small, isolated mountain range rising from the Great Plains of North America in western South Dakota and extending into Wyoming, USA. Set off from the main body of the Rocky Mountains, the region is something of a geological anomaly—accurately described as an "island of...
of Dakota Territory.
Early years
Charles Howard was born, according his enlistment record, in about 1842 in Rockingham CountyRockingham County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 67,725 people, 25,355 households, and 18,889 families residing in the county. The population density was 80 people per square mile . There were 27,328 housing units at an average density of 32 per square mile...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. Little is known of his early life. He is probably the Charles Howard recorded in the 1870 census in Portsmouth, Ohio.
On June 16, 1875, Howard decided to enlist in the army, going in to a recruiting office in Cleveland
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. His enlistment papers describe the thirty-three year old man as 5 foot 5 inches tall, with hazel eyes, brown hair and a dark complexion. From Cleveland, he was sent to Newport Barracks
Newport Barracks
Newport Barracks was a military barracks on the Ohio River, across from Cincinnati, Ohio in Newport, Kentucky. It was operational from 1803 until 1894.-History:In 1803, James Taylor Jr. solicited the help of his cousin, James Madison, who was then U.S...
, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
for orientation. A musician by trade, Recruit Howard was assigned to the Fourth Infantry Band. He was sent to Fort Omaha
Fort Omaha
Fort Omaha, originally known as Sherman Barracks and then Omaha Barracks, is an Indian War-era United States Army supply installation. Located at 5730 North 30th Street, with the entrance at North 30th and Fort Streets in modern-day North Omaha, Nebraska, the facility is primarily occupied by ...
, Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
, headquarters of the Department of the Platte
Department of the Platte
The Department of the Platte was a military administrative district established by the U.S. Army on March 5, 1866, with boundaries encompassing Iowa, Nebraska, Dakota Territory, Utah Territory and a small portion of Idaho...
, and then left with 158 other new recruits aboard a Union Pacific train for Carter Station in southwest Wyoming. From there, the detachment of recruits marched the eleven miles south to Fort Bridger
Fort Bridger
Fort Bridger was originally a 19th century fur trading outpost established in 1842 on Blacks Fork of the Green River and later a vital resupply point for wagon trains on the Oregon Trail, California Trail and Mormon Trail. The Army established a military post here in 1858 during the Utah War until...
, headquarters of the Fourth Infantry, where they arrived on the afternoon of September 10, 1875.
Fort Bridger
Photographers had been passing through this frontier military post since almost the inception of the art form. Daguerreotypist John Wesley Jones visited the garrison in 1851 and Samuel C. MillsSamuel C. Mills
A photographer from Washington, D.C., Samuel C. Mills produced the earliest surviving photographic record of the Oregon Trail and California Trail, from Fort Leavenworth, Kansas Territory, to Camp Floyd, Utah Territory.-Early years:...
, traveling with the Army bound for Utah, produced at least one image of Fort Bridger in 1858. Salt Lake City photographer Charles W. Carter
Charles W. Carter
Charles W. Carter was an Alaskan politician and the eighth mayor of Juneau, Alaska, from 1913 to 1914. He was a citizen of Alaska by 1901...
came during the winter of 1866–67 and his former mentor, Charles Savage
Charles Roscoe Savage
Charles Roscoe Savage was a British-born landscape and portrait photographer who produced images of the American West. He is best known for his 1869 photographs of the linking of the first transcontinental railroad....
, visited a number of times between 1866 and the early 1870s. The noted Union Pacific Railroad
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
photographer Andrew J. Russell
Andrew J. Russell
Andrew Joseph Russell was a 19th-century American photographer of the Civil War and Union Pacific Railroad. Russell was the official photographer of the eastern half of the first transcontinental railroad...
also stopped here in 1869. Census records show a photographer named Simeon Pierson at the post in 1870. Fort Bridger had a long tradition of photographers at the post.
It is not know if Private Howard had previously trained as a photographer or if he acquired his skills after arriving at Fort Bridger, but by the summer of 1876, he was actively producing photographs of the post and the surrounding area. He created landscape views of the Black River Valley and of nearby Church Buttes in the Green River
Green River (Utah)
The Green River, located in the western United States, is the chief tributary of the Colorado River. The watershed of the river, known as the Green River Basin, covers parts of Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado. The Green River is long, beginning in the Wind River Mountains of Wyoming and flowing...
badlands, as well as views of the fort itself. He also produced portraits. Captain William H. Bisbee, Fourth Infantry, sent a payment for photographs of his child to Howard through the post trader at Fort Bridger, complaining that "they are not at all good." Two tintypes, bearing the name "C. Howard, Artistic Photographer, Fort Bridger, Wy. Ty." have survived, examples of this soldier-photographer's portraiture work.
Life for Private Howard at Fort Bridger was probably typical of the experience of most soldiers stationed at frontier posts. Private Howard's duty with the regimental band however did afford him a few privileges and an occasional opportunity to travel off the garrison. In July 1876, for example, he and other bandsmen were invited to Ogden
Ogden, Utah
Ogden is a city in Weber County, Utah, United States. Ogden serves as the county seat of Weber County. The population was 82,825 according to the 2010 Census. The city served as a major railway hub through much of its history, and still handles a great deal of freight rail traffic which makes it a...
, Utah Territory, to perform at the town's centennial celebration. Private Howard was then granted three days leave in Salt Lake City. Here he could have obtained additional photography supplies at establishments such as the Art Bazaar, the studio of the noted photographer Charles Savage
Charles Roscoe Savage
Charles Roscoe Savage was a British-born landscape and portrait photographer who produced images of the American West. He is best known for his 1869 photographs of the linking of the first transcontinental railroad....
, before returning to Fort Bridger.
Examples of Howard's Photographs From Fort Bridger, c. 1875–77
- "Black Fork Valley at Fort Bridger." Brigham Young University.
- Officers' Quarters, Fort Bridger. American Heritage Center.
- Portrait of Nelson Carter, Carter Collection, Wyoming State Archives.
- Portrait of Edgar Carter, Carter Collection, Wyoming State Archives.
- Unidentified Indian outside Judge Carter's Store, Fort Bridger. Private Collection.
Examples of Photos by Other Photographers and Reprinted by Howard
- Unidentified Apache. Original image taken on Wheeler Expedition, 1872; reprinted by Charles Howard, Fort Bridger. Cowan Auctions, June 2007.
The Stanton Expedition
In the spring of 1877, Captain William S. Stanton, Chief Engineer for the Department of the Platte, began preparations for his continued work mapping the major roads in Nebraska and Wyoming. Hearing of Private Howard, Stanton wrote to the commanding officer at Fort Bridger requesting the services of the soldier. "I have thought it would be an excellent opportunity to get a set of photographic views of the posts and the most characteristic features in the scenery of the regions visited," Stanton wrote, "including views in the Black Hills and at the large Indian encampments." The engineering officer also noted that the photographic expedition might also be "to the advantage and perhaps profit of the man himself."Private Howard was detailed for duty with the expedition, departing Fort Bridger on June 27, 1877. His camera, chemicals and developing equipment were forwarded to Cheyenne shortly afterward, where the expedition assembled on July 5 to make final preparations for their departure. In Cheyenne, Howard produced his first photographs of the expedition, including a view of the Cheyenne Army Depot. From this collection of warehouses, army supplies were unloaded from rail cars and shipped overland to military posts throughout Wyoming. He also made a least four images at nearby Fort D. A. Russell
Fort D.A. Russell (Wyoming)
Fort D. A. Russell, also known as Fort Francis E. Warren, Francis E. Warren Air Force Base and Fort David A. Russell, was a post and base of operations for the United States Army, and later the Air Force, located in Cheyenne, Wyoming. The fort had been established in 1867 to protect workers for the...
. Stanton's expedition departed on July 11, mapping the road north towards the Black Hills
Black Hills
The Black Hills are a small, isolated mountain range rising from the Great Plains of North America in western South Dakota and extending into Wyoming, USA. Set off from the main body of the Rocky Mountains, the region is something of a geological anomaly—accurately described as an "island of...
.
The expedition spent two weeks at Fort Laramie and then continued north, arriving in Deadwood
Deadwood, South Dakota
Deadwood is a city in South Dakota, United States, and the county seat of Lawrence County. It is named for the dead trees found in its gulch. The population was 1,270 according to a 2010 census...
on August 11. The expedition then surveyed the road west from Deadwood. Shortly after crossing into eastern Wyoming, the expedition camped near Sun Dance Hill, near present Sundance
Sundance
Sundance Resort is a ski resort located northeast of Provo, Utah, spanning over on the slopes of Mount Timpanogos in Utah's Wasatch Range. Snow skiing began on the site in 1944...
, Wyoming. Several members of the survey part climbed to its summit and Private Howard photographed the prominent landmark. The expedition arrived at Cantonment Reno (Fort McKinney) on August 26, where Howard produced several photographs of the post and its buildings. The expedition then headed south to Fort Fetterman
Fort Fetterman
Fort Fetterman was a wooden fort constructed in 1867 by the United States Army on the Great Plains frontier in the Dakota Territory approximately 11 miles northwest of present-day Douglas, Wyoming. It was located high on the bluffs on the south side of the North Platte River...
. Arriving on September 4, Howard also produced images of this post. The expedition then headed south to Rock Creek Station
Rock Creek Station
Rock Creek Station was a stagecoach and Pony Express station in southeastern Nebraska, near the present-day village of Endicott.-History:Rock Creek Station was established in 1857 along the Oregon Trail and California Trail, along the west bank of Rock Creek. The station was a supply center and...
on the Union Pacific Railroad
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
and then returned to Fort Laramie.
The Stanton Expedition next traveled to Camp Robinson and the Red Cloud Agency
Red Cloud Agency
The Red Cloud Agency was an Indian agency for the Oglala Lakota as well as the Northern Cheyenne and Arapaho, from 1871 to 1878. It was located at three different sites in Wyoming Territory , before being moved to South Dakota. It was then renamed the Pine Ridge Reservation.- Red Cloud Agency No...
, arriving on September 30 just over three weeks after the famed Oglala war leader Crazy Horse
Crazy Horse
Crazy Horse was a Native American war leader of the Oglala Lakota. He took up arms against the U.S...
had been fatally bayonetted. Private Howard produced some of his most important images of the expedition during their four days at Camp Robinson. He appears to have also made a quick trip to nearby Camp Sheridan
Camp Sheridan
Camp Sheridan was established originally as the Post at Spotted Tail Indian Agency, near the Spotted Tail Agency in northwestern Nebraska in March 1874. In 1875, the garrison moved into permanent structures on the west fork of Beaver Creek, 12 miles upstream from the White River, near Hay Springs,...
and the Spotted Tail Agency.
The expedition then headed north to the Black Hills again, this time mapping the northern extension of the Sidney-Deadwood trail. They returned along another Black Hills trail, arriving back at Camp Robinson on October 25, the same day that the Oglala left the Red Cloud Agency
Red Cloud Agency
The Red Cloud Agency was an Indian agency for the Oglala Lakota as well as the Northern Cheyenne and Arapaho, from 1871 to 1878. It was located at three different sites in Wyoming Territory , before being moved to South Dakota. It was then renamed the Pine Ridge Reservation.- Red Cloud Agency No...
for their new home on the Missouri River
Missouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
, escorted by two companies of the Third Cavalry
Third Cavalry
3rd Cavalry, 3d Cavalry, Third Cavalry are cavalry unit designations* 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment * 3rd Cavalry* 3rd Cavalry Division* 3rd Madras Cavalry* 3rd Cavalry Division * IJA 3rd Cavalry Brigade...
. With winter rapidly descending on the northern Great Plains, the Stanton Expedition departed Camp Robinson on October 28, heading south to Sidney Barracks through four to six inches of snow. The weary party arrived in Sidney on November 2 where Private Howard produced one of his final photographs of the expedition. After four months in the field, the soldiers had mapped some thirteen hundred miles of trails through western Nebraska, eastern Wyoming and the Black Hills of Dakota Territory. "I have made quite a collection of negatives this season," Private Howard wrote to a friend at Fort Bridger
Fort Bridger
Fort Bridger was originally a 19th century fur trading outpost established in 1842 on Blacks Fork of the Green River and later a vital resupply point for wagon trains on the Oregon Trail, California Trail and Mormon Trail. The Army established a military post here in 1858 during the Utah War until...
, "but had a pretty rough trip of it."
Following the disbandment of the expedition, Private Howard was ordered to accompany Captain Stanton back to Department Headquarters in Omaha where the soldier remained for some eight months, printing his photographs. By early 1878, he had opened his own photographic studio on Douglas Street in Omaha and began selling his images as large format prints, stereoviews and carte-de-vistas. His catalog printed on the back of his stereoviews listed 78 different images for sale.
While in Omaha, Howard apparently met another photographer named D. S. Mitchell
Daniel S. Mitchell
Daniel Sedgley Mitchell is a famous photographer best known for his series of stereoscopic views of the Black Hills in 1876, his Indian portraits from the Red Cloud Agency in 1877, and his photographs of the Oklahoma Land Rush in 1889.-Early life:...
who had recently established the Great Western Photograph Publishing Company with his partner, Joseph H. McGowan. The name of the firm soon changed from Mitchell & McGowan to Mitchell, McGowan & Company, suggesting that other photographers became part of the partnership. Based on the fact that the company began printing Howard's views as a set of 43 stereocards called "Military Posts and Indian Views", Private Howard probably joined the firm for a short time. Mitchell's photographic company broke up in the summer and fall of 1878. McGowan moved to North Platte while Mitchell opened a new portrait gallery of his own called the Bee Hive Studio on Sixteenth Street in Omaha
Omaha
Omaha may refer to:*Omaha , a Native American tribe that currently resides in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Nebraska-Places:United States* Omaha, Nebraska* Omaha, Arkansas* Omaha, Georgia* Omaha, Illinois* Omaha, Texas...
. Lacking funds to continue his survey of military roads, Captain Stanton decided not to attempt another summer of field work and released Private Howard from his service in Omaha, sending him back to his old regiment.
Examples of Howard's Photographs From Stanton Expedition, 1877:
Cheyenne, July 1877
- Cheyenne Depot. Possibly by Private Howard. Bourke Diaries, U.S. Military Academy Library, West Point. Published in Paul Hedron, Fort Laramie in 1876 (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1988) p. 55.
Fort Laramie, July or September 1877
- Fort Laramie. Denver Public Library and National Archives.
- Old Bedlam, Fort Laramie. American Heritage Center.
- Post Trader's store. Possibly by Private Howard.
- Indian Graves near Fort Laramie. Smithsonian Institution.
- Platte River Bridge. Bourke Diaries, U.S. Military Academy Library, West Point. Second example sold on Ebay Sept. 2008.
Black Hills, August or October 1877
- Sundance Hill, Black Hills." Taken Aug. 19–20, 1877. Denver Public Library.
- "51. Camp in the Black Hills." Possible view of Stanton Expedition encampment. Sold on Ebay Sept. 2008.
- possibly "52. Custer City." Mislabeled as Camp Sheridan. Sold on Ebay Sept. 2008.
- "53. Bear Rock near Custer City on French Creek, Black Hills." Same image published by Stanley J. Morrow. Sold on Ebay Sept. 2008.
- "56. Deadwood City, D.T." Sold on Ebay Sept. 2008.
- "60. Leed's City" [Lead City, Dakota Territory]. Sold on Ebay Sept. 2008.
- "Blacksmith Shop, Custer City." Sold on Ebay Sept. 2008.
- Unidentified group, possibly of surveyors on Stanton Expedition. Private collection. Sold on ebay Dec. 2007.
Cantonment Reno/Fort McKinney, Aug. 1877
- "3. Group of Officers, Fort McKinney, Wyo." Bourke Diaries, U.S. Military Academy Library, West Point.
- "8. View of Fort McKinney, Powder River." Bourke Diaries, U.S. Military Academy Library, West Point.
- "12. Work in a Frontier Post; erecting quarters at Fort McKinney." Bourke Diaries, U.S. Military Academy Library, West Point.
- "Ruins old Fort Reno." Probably by Private Howard. Bourke Diaries, U.S. Military Academy Library, West Point.
Fort Fetterman, Sept. 1877
- Fort Fetterman. Nebraska State Historical Society
- Camp of 2nd Cavalry, Fort Fetterman. Two known copies: Signal Corps Collection (RG111), National Archives; second example in private collection.
- Group of Officers, Fort Fetterman. American Heritage Center.
Between Rock Creek and Fort Laramie, Sept. 1877
- "28. Laramie Peak." Bourke Diaries, U.S. Military Academy Library, West Point.
Camp Robinson and the Red Cloud Agency, Oct. 1877
- Camp Robinson. U.S. Military Academy and South Dakota Historical Society.
- Red Cloud Agency. Wyoming State Archives.
- Crow Butte. Denver Public Library
- Arappahoe Chiefs, 'Group'. Denver Public Library
- Gen. Bradley's Quarters, Camp Robinson. Denver Public Library
- Group of Officers, Camp Robinson. Denver Public Library
- Post Sutler Store, Camp Robinson. Denver Public Library
- Red Dog's Village. Nebraska State Historical Society.
- Beef Issue, at Red Cloud Agency. Nebraska State Historical Society.
- Little Big Man's Tepees, Red Cloud Agency. Smithsonian Institution.
Camp Sheridan and the Spotted Tail Agency, Oct. 1877
- Camp Sheridan, Nebraska. U.S. Military Academy and Smithsonian Institution.
- Sioux Village on White River. Smithsonian Institution and Denver Art Museum.
- Minneconjoux Village. Denver Art Museum.
- Beef Issue at Spotted Tail's Agency, Neb. Princeton University and U.S. Military Academy.
- Spotted Tail's Family. U.S. Military Academy and Museum of New Mexico
- Crazy Horse's Grave. Bourke Collection, U.S. Military Academy.
- Crazy Horse's Grave. Sold on Ebay Sept. 2008.
Sidney Barracks, Nov. 1877
- Sidney Barracks. Denver Public Library
Fort Sanders
In July 1878, Private Howard was transferred back to his original assignment with the Fourth Infantry Band, now stationed at Fort SandersFort Sanders (Wyoming)
Fort Sanders was a wooden fort constructed in 1866 on the Laramie Plains in southern Wyoming, near the city of Laramie. Originally named Fort John Buford, it was renamed Fort Sanders after General William P. Sanders who died at the Siege of Knoxville during the American Civil War. This was the...
near Laramie, Wyoming
Laramie, Wyoming
Laramie is a city in and the county seat of Albany County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 30,816 at the . Located on the Laramie River in southeastern Wyoming, the city is west of Cheyenne, at the junction of Interstate 80 and U.S. Route 287....
. At his new assignment, Howard set up another portrait gallery and produced images for the officers, men and their families stationed at the post. He also reprinted some of Mitchell, McGowan & Company original images, suggesting that he may have kept some of the negatives when the partnership was dissolved. One surviving image bears the imprint of "Howard & Johnston, Fort Sanders, Wyoming Territory, suggesting that Howard took on a partner. This may be William J. Johnston, a Canadian who came to Wyoming in 1880 and established a portrait studio in Green River. This may be the same Johnston who later joined Charles S. Baker in Evanston, Wyoming, to produce a series of prints of Shoshone, Arapaho and Apache portraits.
Private Charles Howard completed his enlistment and was discharged from the Army in June 1880. What became of him after this currently remains a mystery. No further documentation of this soldier/photographer has yet been found.
Examples of Howard's Photographs From Fort Sanders, circa. 1878–80
- Officers Quarters, Fort Sanders, Wyoming. American Heritage Center.
- Unidentified 3rd Cavalryman. Bill Chachula Collection. Published in: Douglas C. McChristian, Uniforms, Arms, and Equipment: The U.S. Army on the Western Frontier, 1880–1892, vol. 1 (Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, 2007) p. 16 (figure 1.4).
- First Sergeant John Henry (John H. Shingle), Company I 3rd Cavalry. By Howard & Johnston. Hayes Otoupalik Collection.
Examples of Photos Reprinted by Howard
- Portrait of Brigadier General George Crook, taken in January 1877 in Cheyenne, Wyoming Territory, by D. S. Mitchell. Reprinted by Private Charles Howard. Wyoming State Archives.
- Portrait of Young Man Afraid of His Horses, probably taken in the fall of 1877 at the Red Cloud Agency, Nebraska, by D. S. Mitchell. Reprinted by Private Charles Howard. American Heritage Center.
Native American Photographs
While the majority of Private Howard's surviving images can best be described as outdoor views, including landscapes, he did produce a small number of photographs of Native Americans. All of his surviving Indian photographs were taken outdoors, as opposed to within a studio setting. His earliest is an image of an unidentified Indian, presumably Shoshone, wrapped in a blanket outside Judge Carter's post trader store at Fort Bridger, cirica. 1875–77.The majority of his Native American views are from the Red Cloud and Spotted Tail Agencies, located in northwestern Nebraska, taken in October 1877 while he was part of the Stanton Expedition. He produced a number of views of Indian camps as well as images of prominent Lakota leaders outside their lodge. He photographed Spotted Tail
Spotted Tail
Siŋté Glešká was a Brulé Lakota tribal chief. Although a great warrior in his youth, and having taken part in the Grattan massacre, he declined to participate in Red Cloud's War, having become convinced of the pointlessness of opposing the white incursions into his homeland; he became a...
, White Thunder and Two Strike, all prominent Brule headmen. Of the Minneconjou and Sans Arc leaders who had recently surrendered at the Spotted Tail Agency, he was able to photograph Touch the Clouds
Touch the Clouds
Touch the Clouds was a chief of the Minneconjou Teton Lakota known for his bravery and skill in battle, physical strength and for his diplomacy in counsel. The youngest son of Lone Horn, he was brother to Spotted Elk, Frog, and Roman Nose...
, Red Bear and Roman Nose
Roman Nose
Roman Nose, a.k.a. Hook Nose , was a Native American of the Northern Cheyenne, and possibly the greatest and most influential warrior during the Plains Indian War of the 1860s...
. The famed Oglala war leader Crazy Horse
Crazy Horse
Crazy Horse was a Native American war leader of the Oglala Lakota. He took up arms against the U.S...
had been killed three weeks prior to Private Howard's visit, but the photographer did capture at least two images of Crazy Horse's scaffold grave, located on a bluff overlooking Camp Sheridan.
On his printed list of available views pasted on the back of his stereocards (circa. 1878), Howard advertised that he also had "Numerous Pictures 'Card Size' of Indians of Different Tribes." Many of these may actually be reprints of the work of other photographers.