Frank A. Rinehart was a photographer working in Omaha, Nebraska, during the late 19th century. He became known for a special collection of photographs he took featuring Native American people.
In 1898, Omaha hosted a large fair called the Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition. This event was meant to showcase the developments and cultures found west of the Mississippi River. A unique part of this fair was the Indian Congress. This gathering brought together hundreds of Native Americans from many different tribes across the United States. It was a rare occasion for so many diverse tribal members to be in one place.
Rinehart was appointed the official photographer for the entire Exposition. This position gave him special access to the attendees of the Indian Congress. He set up a photography studio directly on the Exposition grounds specifically to take portraits of the Native American delegates. His main helper in this project was Adolph Muhr, who later also became a noted photographer.
Read more
Inside the studio, Rinehart and Muhr carefully posed individuals for portraits. Most pictures focused on the person’s head and shoulders. The subjects often wore traditional clothing, including items like feather headdresses, beaded garments, and specific jewelry representing their tribe and status. These studio sessions resulted in hundreds of photographs.
The process used involved large glass plate negatives. This technique allowed for very detailed and high-quality images. The clarity of these photographs is still impressive today.
Rinehart photographed members from around 35 different Native American nations. Some of the represented tribes included the Sioux (Lakota/Dakota), Apache, Arapaho, Cheyenne, Crow, Flathead, Iowa, Kiowa, Omaha, Ponca, Pawnee, Sac and Fox, Wichita, and Zuni, among others. The collection captures a wide range of individuals – chiefs, warriors, women, and children.
After the Exposition ended in late 1898, the project continued for a short time. Rinehart and Muhr sometimes traveled to Native American reservations to take more photographs, adding to the collection started at the Omaha event.
The resulting photographs offer a direct look at the faces of individuals from numerous Native American tribes at that specific time. They show details of attire, adornment, and personal appearance. Each photograph stands as a record of a particular person captured by Rinehart’s camera.
