These are among the most compelling and historically important known photographs taken at the Red Cloud Agency during its early years, captured by officer and photographer Lt. Thomas Wilhelm in early 1874—just months after the agency’s relocation near the White River. Shot within the corral of James W. Dear’s trading post on the west side of the agency, the images document a powerful and complex moment in Lakota and frontier history. Wilhelm, an adjutant in the 8th Infantry and a serious amateur photographer, was traveling with artist Jules Tavernier and accompanied by Captain Stanton, the departmental paymaster, during a period of heightened tension and violence in the region.

One image is an original quarter plate tintype, one of two taken by Wilhelm at theRed Cloud Agency. The other image is a period paper copy of the other tintype. Also include is a period manuscript note describing the subjects.

One of the key figures in the images is Dear himself, seated in a chair near the center of the group. Tavernier, the artist, is also present—reclining or seated on the ground, and clearly posed to be identified. The inscription on the card identifies Lieutenant William H. Carter, also of the 8th Infantry, standing at left. Carter was instrumental in helping Wilhelm gain access to photograph the Lakota men gathered at the trading post, which appears to be the backdrop in both images.

The Lakota figures—identified by inscription as Oglala Sioux—were reportedly being held for or questioned in relation to an assault at the agency and the killing of an agent earlier that year. That context is written in a striking hand on the reverse of one of the images. Though the tintypes show similar compositions, the tintype is laterly reversed due to the nature of the process, the other is an ablumen photograph made by Wilhelm. Their composition, clarity, and historical depth make them rare survivors from the early days of Red Cloud Agency life, before it became Fort Robinson in 1878.

As frontier images go, these are museum-worthy both for their photographic quality and their direct connection to the history of U.S. military presence, Native resistance, and the uneasy commerce of the Indian Agencies in the years following the 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty.

The associated text descripton identifies:
"Lieut. W. H. Carter, Mr. Tavenier, artist seated on ground. Mr. Dear Indian Trader seated in chair. Lt. Buchanan kneeling down.Ogalla Sioux just after assault on agency and killing of agent 1874."