An Apache warrior stands in full-length pose in this albumen cabinet card, the printed caption "AN APACHE WARRIOR" appearing directly on the image below the figure. The photograph was made by D. A. Markey, identified on the reverse as a Photo. Artist, and dates to the 1880s based on mount style and imprint typography.
The subject wears a loose light-colored shirt belted at the waist, loose trousers, and moccasins, and holds a rifle horizontally across his body with both hands. A feathered headdress adorned with what appear to be small decorative elements crowns his long dark hair, and a beaded or shell necklace with pendant ornaments hangs at his chest. The studio set includes branches with dried foliage arranged at right, a rocky prop at lower right, scattered dry grasses on the ground, and a painted backdrop suggesting an exterior setting.
Apache portrait cabinet cards produced for commercial distribution circulated widely during the Southwest campaigns of the 1880s, when public interest in Apache subjects was at its height, and studio photographers in Arizona and New Mexico actively documented and sold such images to military personnel, tourists, and collectors.
The reverse bears the printed imprint: "D. A. Markey, Photo. Artist." with a small floral ornament below.
From the collection of James Lee Soffer
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