1883 NATIVE AMERICAN ZUNI INDIAN RUNNERS STEREOVIEW PHOTO BY BEN WITTICK For Sale

Very rare and original, 1883 Albumen Stereoview Photograph of a group of Native American Zuni Indian “Runners” taken by Ben Wittick. This wonderful, period Stereoview Photograph measures approx. 7” by 4” and is mounted on its original, orange colored, rounded corner, flat card mount. The subject is identified with a period ink inscription (likely written by the photographer) on the reverse that reads \"Zuni Racers at Tertio Millennia, Santa Fe\". The card mount carries the Albuquerque, New Mexico imprint of \"Wittick & Russell\" on the reverse that reads in part “Views in New Mexico, Arizona & Mexico, / Photographed by Ben. Wittick… / Published By Wittick & Russell, / Albuquerque, N.M.”

The Image features four Zuni Braves wearing loin cloths and body paint. These were the Zuni Kick Stick Racers. The Zuni Indians of Northwestern New Mexico occasionally held racing tournaments in which a number of the fleetest runners of the tribe contest for prizes to be given those who first complete on foot a circuit fully 25 miles in length, after a week of severe preparatory practice. The contestants are compelled to kick a small stick the entire distance of the race. Sometimes they bare the right foot and grasp the stick between their toes so that in taking a step, they can fling it a surprising distance in front of them as they run.

The rule of the race is that this stick is never to be touched by any part of the body other than the foot The contestants may get into severe difficulties when the nomadic piece of wood happens to fall into the midst of one of the large thorny clumps of cacti which abounds in that country, or if the river has to be crossed in the race. So extraordinary are the endurance and speed of these runners that they often cover the entire 25 miles in a little more than two hours. Sometimes Indians mounted on swift ponies enter the race against the foot runners. At the end of ten miles the horses begin to show signs of fatigue, and when 15 or 20 miles have been traveled they have often to be withdrawn from the race. The foot runners are almost always able to win the race over their mounted competitors, and seem to suffer no serious effects from the great muscular strain to which they have been subjected.

This Image was taken by Wittick in the summer of 1883 at the \"Territorial Millennial Celebration\" held to commemorate the 333rd anniversary of the settlement of Santa Fe, the oldest city in the southwest. Attending the Celebration were \"...four or five big bands of Pueblos, a band of Apaches, the \'Laguna Rifles\' (Indian Cavalry) and Fountain\'s \'rustler\' killers, the \'Don Ana Rangers\'..\". Whittick photographer the Mescalero Apache band who attended the event and also photographed the Crow Dance of the Tesuque Pueblo, which was performed in the courtyard of the government buildings.

This rare and wonderful, Native American Indian, Stereo Photograph is in good to very good condition. The focus is sharp and the contrast and tonality good. The images are generally clean and crisp except for a spot of staining to the left hand image. The stereo effect is strong when examined through a stereoscope. The card mount has edge chips, surface thinning and edge wear as can be seen in the scans below.

A very rare and fascinating, Albumen Stereoview Photograph of a group of Native American Zuni Indian Braves / Racers taken by Ben Wittick and a fantastic addition to any collection!!!

Some information about the Photographers A. Frank Randall and Ben Wittick:

A. Frank Randall operated out of Willcox, Arizona as an itinerant photographer beginning about 1883. Randall is primarily known for his work documenting the Navajo, Hopi and Apache. Randall and Ben Wittick were involved in the creation of one of the finest groups of images of Native Americans of the West, a series of about 100 boudoir cabinet portraits, produced at and around Fort Apache from about 1883 to 1885.

The studio backgrounds for the photographs are similar, and props such as cactus, blankets and rifles appear repeatedly in many of these images. Most are also rich with props from the daily life of the subjects like baskets, pottery, jewelry and crafts. Some images in the series are credited to Randall in hand stamped or printed labels on the reverse of the mount. Others have a \"Wittick\" credit inscribed in the emulsion of the negative, or are on Wittick imprinted mounts. Some are uncredited, and individual images have been found with credits which differ among examples.

Determining which photographer made a given image has become a significant mystery. One image, a portrait of Wittick with Peaches and two armed apache was obviously taken by Randall or an assistant. Though there are many theories and hypotheses, the relationship between Randall and Wittick in producing these incredible images has yet to be uncovered. Details about whether the images were jointly produced, if Randall and Wittick duplicated and exchanged some of the negatives, or if this work resulted from the shared use of a common studio space may never be known.

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