Featured in this lot is this amazing, silver gelatin D.F. Barry (1854-1934) photo titled, "Sioux Burial", 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. The photo shows two burial sites in two trees, with one being Koska's grave site, the son of Chief Rain-In-The-Face and the other an unnamed Native American. The Sioux traditionally placed their deceased on platforms in trees or on scaffolds, a practice called "tree burial," because they believed it allowed the spirit of the dead to more easily ascend to the sky on their journey to the afterlife, bringing them closer to the heavens and facilitating communication with the deceased by their loved ones who could easily access the elevated body; this practice also helped protect the body from animals that might disturb a ground burial. The photo is blind-stamped in the bottom center reading, "Barry". Included with the photo is a correspondence letter between D.F. Barry and John Kleinschmidt talking about he (Barry) has just mailed more photos to Kleinschmidt and another woman. He also talks about a Sitting Bull photo he has when Sitting Bull was at the agency. The photo is set in a silver colored metal frame and sits behind glass to preserve its already good condition. Two museum tags are featured on the piece from the C.M. Russell in Great Falls, Montana. The first tag is glued to the front of the glass reading, "Sioux Burial" while the second tag reads, "1396-87 O'Dell". The photo measures 9" L x 7" W, while the entire piece measures 10 1/8" L x 8 1/8" W x 1/2" D. It weighs 1 pound. 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.