For your consideration is this original, blind stamped photo of Major James McLaughlin taken by D. F. Barry (1854-1934) circa 1923 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. James McLaughlin (February 12, 1842 - July 28, 1923) was a Canadian-American United States Indian agent and inspector best remembered for ordering Sitting Bull's arrest in December 1890, which culminated in the chief's death and contributed to the Wounded Knee Massacre. Prior to this event, he was recognized for having good relationships with various tribes. In 1910, he released a book called "My Friend the Indian". McLaughlin immigrated to the United States at the age of 21, briefly settling in St. Paul, Minnesota, where he married a Mdewakanton woman of mixed ethnicity. He quickly became a citizen. While working as a blacksmith at Fort Totten, he studied to become a United States Indian agent and was appointed to head the Devils Lake Agency in 1876. In 1881, he was promoted and relocated to the bigger Standing Rock Sioux Agency in the Dakotas, where he worked for many years during a period of short-term political appointments. In 1895, he was elevated to Inspector of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Department of Interior, where he remained until his death in 1923 in Washington, D.C.. This photo includes a photo-copied (from original) correspondence letter to Mr. Kleinschmidt from D.F. Barry talking about how he has his five dollars and is talking about other photos and sending two others. One of the photos talked about and sent, was the one in this lot of Major James McLaughlin taken in 1923, just before his death. The photo is set on a cardstock piece and glued to a larger piece of paper. In the center is the photo of McLaughlin as he looks towards the viewer with a friendly look on his face. It is blind stamped on the photo itself, as well as on the cardstock piece in the bottom right hand corner. Two museum tags are present from the C.M. Russell Museum in Great Falls, Montana with the first reading, "Major James McLaughlin 1923" and the second reading, "1396-87 O'Dell". The photo is set in a wood frame and sits behind glass to preserve its condition. No major signs of wear or damage is noted. The visible photo measures 6 3/8" L x 4 3/8" W, while the entire piece measures 14 3/4" L x 11 3/4" W x 5/8" D. It has a weight of 1 pound and 4 ounces.
