North American Auction Company
Live Auction

Timeless Treasures: 19th C. Native, Western Photographs & French Elegance

Sat, Sep 13, 2025 11:00AM EDT
  2025-09-13 11:00:00 2025-09-13 11:00:00 America/New_York North American Auction Company North American Auction Company : Timeless Treasures: 19th C. Native, Western Photographs & French Elegance https://live.naabid.com/auctions/north-american-auction/timeless-treasures-19th-c-native-western-photographs-french-elegance-20467
Join us Saturday, September 13th at 9am MT in Bozeman, MT for Timeless Treasures: 19th C. Native, Western Photographs & French Elegance. This exceptional auction features a remarkable collection of 19th-century Native American artifacts, rare Western photography by Haynes, Huffman, and other Montana photographers, and an impressive selection of 18th-century French furniture. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to acquire historic and elegant treasures. Browse the full catalog at live.naabid.com
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Lot 152

1913 Blackfoot Chief Two Guns White Calf Photo

Estimate: $2,000 - $3,000
Starting Bid
$400

Bid Increments

Price Bid Increment
$0 $5
$50 $10
$100 $25
$500 $50
$1,000 $100
$2,000 $250
$5,000 $500
$10,000 $1,000
$25,000 $2,500
$100,000 $5,000
This is an original massive, mammoth plate original photograph that is hand-tinted / hand-colored of Chief Two Guns White Calf of the Piegan Blackfeet in Montana dated by 1913 by Joseph Byron (New York, NY; 1847-1923). This is one of the earliest photographs of Chief Two Guns White Calf. Chief Two Guns White Calf (1872-1934) is also known as John Two Guns White Calf, Chief White Calf, John Two Guns and John Whitecalf Two Guns, he was born in 1847 near Fort Benton, Montana Territory and was the adopted son of Chief White Calf. He became the last Chief of the Blackfoot Tribe when his father elder White Calf died in 1903 as a guest of President Theodore Roosevelt in Washington, D.C. Chief Two Guns White Calf is known for his work promoting Glacier National Park for the Great Northern Railway, but is most-famous for his image being the model for the Indian head nickel struck by the U.S. Mint 1913-1938 by sculptor James Earle Fraser; as well White Calf was the face of the NFL’s Washington Redskins for 48-years as the model for their team logo. In 1971, Walter "Blackie" Wetzel, a Blackfeet tribal council member, created the Washington Redskins logo. He used Two Guns White Calf's image as the basis for the logo which was widely seen on a variety of merchandise and football gear. Before receiving that honor, he was one of the most famous Native Americans of the 20th century. This image is signed lower left BYRON N.Y. 1913 and titled mid lower picture Chief White Calf. This image is by Joseph Byron (1847-1923) who was an English photographer who founded the Byron Company in Manhattan, New York with much of his work at the Museum of the City of New York including an edition of this image. This image is a large mammoth plate original photograph and has been hand colored and is in well preserved condition. The back is written in pencil “Chief White Calf Glacier Park Indian”. The image could have been taken in Montana near Glacier Park. Age tanning noted. Measures 15"W x 18.5"L, on display board that is 16"W x 19.5"L, weight is 6oz.

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