Powerful cabinet card portrait of Semeo, also known as Umatilla Jim, produced for the U.S. Geological and Geographical Survey of the Territories under Ferdinand V. Hayden. The sitter, a Umatilla man identified as Semeo, sits upright with braided hair adorned in disc-shaped shell ornaments and a feathered roach bustle. He wears a striped wool trade blanket and a shirt accented with fur and a decorative medicine bundle. His commanding expression and traditional attire convey a strong sense of dignity and identity.

Photographed by Charles Milton Bell and published circa 1870s as part of Hayden’s photographic survey series for the Department of the Interior. Bell’s portraits, often taken in Washington, D.C., were used to document prominent Native American delegates, leaders, and representatives. The imprint below reads: “Department of the Interior. U.S. Geological and Geographical Survey of the Territories. F.V. Hayden, U.S. Geologist, In Charge.” A scarce and striking ethnographic portrait tied to the early efforts of anthropological documentation by the federal government.