Introduction
 Chief
Washakie (born circa 1804-1810, died 1900) is perhaps the
most famous of all Eastern Shoshone headmen and leaders.
Known for his prowess as both warrior and statesperson, Washakie
played a prominent role in the territorial and statehood development
of Idaho, Montana, Utah, and Wyoming. He hunted and
trapped with famous mountain man Jim Bridger, sat in treaty
councils and negotiations with Mormon elder Brigham Young,
and secured the Wind River Reservation as the homeland of
the Eastern Shoshones.
As did many prominent
Indian leaders in the late 19th century, Washakie occasionally
posed for various photographers of the era, including Charles
Roscoe Savage (1832-1909), Baker & Johnson (Evanston,
WY), Frank Jay Haynes (1853-1921), and William Henry Jackson
(1843-1942). The earliest photos of Washakie are probably
those taken by Savage, who operated a studio in Salt Lake
City in the 1860s. Jackson first encountered Washakie
and the Eastern Shoshones when he joined the Hayden Geological
Survey in 1870 and photographed a large Shoshone encampment
at South Pass. Haynes took numerous photographs of Washakie
and the Wind River Reservation as a member of President Chester
A. Arthur's journey to Yellowstone Park in 1883. Baker
& Johnson, based in Evanston, Wyoming, set up a field
studio on the Wind River Reservation,
possibly during the Arthur visit, and no later than 1885,
and captured several images of Washakie and some of his family
and council members.
Washakie's death
in 1900, of course, ended the era of live portraitures.
But over the past 100 years, his visage has continued to grace
diverse items such as postcards, stationery letterheads, soda
bottles, matchbook covers, collectible plates, rifles, and
comic books. Sculptures and statues have been created
to offer three-dimensional representations. American
Indian activist and actor Russell Means has played the part
of Washakie in the 1998 film, Wind River.
This website depicts
the legacy of Washakie's image in two broad categories:
Historical Photographs and Non-Photographic Images.
The former are scans of actual period photographs with accompanying
text to describe the circumstances of the photographic event.
The Non-Photographic Image category contain many examples
of Washakie's picture as used in advertising, sculpture, books,
or other art.
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