For your consideration is this original, blind stamped photo of Chief Gall of the Hunkpapa Lakota taken by D.F. Barry circa 1880s from the ex-collection of the C.M. Russell Museum and John Kleinschmidt. David Francis Barry (1854-1934) was one of the most noted photographers of the American Indian and U.S. Army participants in the Sioux War of 1876 and is attributed with some of the most recognizable surviving images from this period in the history of the American West. Barry first came to the west in the 1870’s to apprentice under photographer O.S. Goff, who worked as the photographer at Fort Abraham Lincoln. It was from this post the Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer led his Seventh U.S. Cavalry division in May 1876 to the battle of the Little Bighorn in southwestern Montana. This is considered one of the largest collection of Barry photographs from one historic Montana family offered for public sale. Gall was born in 1840 on the Moreau River, west of the Missouri River in present-day South Dakota. He, like Sitting Bull, belonged to the Hunkpapa Lakota tribe. Gall showed his physical might early in battle and during hunts. He eventually became Sitting Bull's favorite protégé. Gall first confronted the whites at the Battle of Killdeer Mountain (1864) in present-day North Dakota. Gall and Sitting Bull also led attacks on military escorts of Northern Pacific Railroad survey crews in southeastern Montana during the summer of 1872. Gall led his people from Standing Rock Agency to join Sitting Bull's non-treaty Lakota after the government issued an ultimatum in December 1875 to enter the reservation or face repercussions. At the Battle of the Little Bighorn, Reno's assault on the south end of the hamlet killed several members of Gall's family, including two wives and three children. Gall did not appear to take part in the attack on Reno's retreating troops, but did cross with warriors at Medicine Tail Coulee to stop and then charge Custer's battalion. He played an active role in the final defeat of Custer's battalion. General Miles' 5th Infantry harassed Sitting Bull's people relentlessly during the fall and winter of 1876-1877. Gall crossed over to Wood Mountain, Canada, in what is now southern Alberta, with Sitting Bull in the spring of 1877. As the exiled Lakota began to hunger, Gall broke with Sitting Bull and returned to Fort Buford with a large number of his followers in January 1881. After more defections, Sitting Bull led the rest of his people into Fort Buford to surrender on July 19, 1881. Gall supported Standing Rock Indian Agent James McLaughlin in his attempts to persuade the Lakota to adopt an agrarian lifestyle. He rose to prominence as a leader of the tribe's progressive faction against the traditionalists who opposed Sitting Bull's new methods. On December 5, 1894, Gall died on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation in what is now South Dakota. This photo is housed in the original tri-fold D.F. Barry folder that is blind stamped "Barry" underneath the photo. A small piece of paper is glued to the photo reading, "Chief Gall". Gall is looking to the left of the viewer with a stoic look on his face. The photo is blind stamped on the bottom right hand corner reading, "Copyright by D.F. Barry". Included with the original photo is a correspondence letter between John Kleinschmidt and David Francis Barry talking about other Chief Gall photos Mr. Kleinschmidt might be interested in buying, including a colored Chief Gall photo. It is addressed to Mr. Kleinschmidt and signed "yours very truly, D.F. Barry" in pen. The tri-fold folder has been torn and does not fold, but the pieces are included. The photo shows good condition overall with little to no wear present and no signs of major damage is noted. The letter is in good condition with little to no wear present. The visible photo measures 9 3/8" L x 6 7/8" W, while the entire piece measures 14" L x 9 7/8" W. The letter measures 11" L x 8 1/2" W. Provenance: From the John Kleinschmidt collection which was on loan to the C.M. Russell Museum from 1987 to 1993 and included in the "The Cowboy West: 100 Years of Photography 1992-1993 exhibit.