Family photos remain an important way of preserving our legacy for future generations. As time capsules of sorts, they gift our descendants the chance to connect with their roots and feel a sense of belonging. It was no different for Native American communities. Family photos from the late 19th and early 20th century served to capture their rich history during a time of profound cultural change. We’ve found 50 such images, giving you a front-row look into Native American family life. These vintage photos capture multiple generations, often dressed up in a mix of native and western attire. Rare and fascinating, they reveal how Native Americans held onto family, culture, and traditions, even while facing enormous difficulties.
#1 Samson Beaver, His Wife Leah, And Daughter Frances Louise, 1907
Image source: Mary Schaffer Warren
#2 Inupiat Family From Noatak, Alaska, 1929
Image source: Edward S. Curtis
#3 Coeur D’alene Man, Phillip Wildshoe And Family, In His Chalmers Automobile, 1916
Image source: Frank Palmer
#4 Eskimo Mother And Child In Furs, Nome, Alaska, 1915
Image source: National Archives at College Park
#5 Apache Mother And Child, 1903
Image source: Library of Congress
#6 Native Family At Their Home, Yukon Territory, Circa 1897
Image source: Eric A. Hegg
#7 Mille Lacs Ojibwa Family, Minnesota, USA, 1920s
Image source: British Museum
#8 Makah Man And Woman With Canoe And Fish, Ca 1900
Image source: Anders Beer Wilse
#9 Navajo Riders In Canyon De Chelly, 1904
Image source: Library of Congress
#10 Charging Thunder, Sioux & Wife, American Indians, 1900
Image source: Library of Congress
#11 American Indian Couple With Baby, 1904-1918
Image source: SMU Libraries Digital Collections
#12 Chief Little Wound With Wife And Son, 1899
Image source: Library of Congress
#13 Photograph Of Chief Medicine Man Of Chippewa Indians Axel Pasey With His Family, 1936
Image source: National Archives and Records Administration
#14 Apache Woman, At Base Of Tree, Holding Infant In Cradleboard In Her Lap, 1906
Image source: Library of Congress
#15 Cabin Of Harriet Brooks, 1908
Image source: Fred A. Olds
#16 Eskimo Men, Women And Children Wearing Native And Western Clothing, Alaska, Ca 1900
Image source: Eric A. Hegg
#17 A Comanche Mother And Child, 1896-1927
Image source: Edward S. Curtis
#18 Missionary Woman Visiting A Walapai Indian Family, Hackbury, Arizona, Ca.1900
Image source: Pierce, C.C. (Charles C.)
#19 Apache Indian Grandmother Carrying Her Grandchild On Her Back And Three Others Sitting Nearby, Palomas Indian Reservation, 1903
Image source: James, George Wharton
#20 Woman And A Baby, Utes, 1899
Image source: Library of Congress
#21 Stampede & Family “Sioux”, 1910
Image source: Library of Congress
#22 Utes, Chief Sevara And Family, 1885
Image source: Detroit Publishing Co.
#23 Family Of Chief Nouh “Jimmy” Sluiskin, Yakima -Yakama- Indian Tribe, 1915
Image source: Asahel Curtis
#24 Group Of Sioux And Apache Indians, 1904
Image source: Miscellaneous Items in High Demand, PPOC, Library of Congress
#25 Photograph Of Knik Chief Nikaly And His Family Near Anchorage, Alaska
Image source: National Archives at College Park
#26 Hopi Mother And Daughter From A Wealthy Family At Mishongnovi (Mashongnavi), Arizona, Ca.1898
Image source: George Wharton James
#27 Indians Bannock, Idaho
Image source: wikimedia
#28 Indian Family, Marsden’s
Image source: National Archives and Records Administration
#29 Native American Family In Photo, Taken Between 1898 And 1902
Image source: Brooklyn Museum
#30 Paloos/Colville Family Posing With Pony, Colville Indian Reservation, Washington, Ca. 1900-1910
Image source: Latham, Edward H.
#31 Unidentified Indian Family
Image source: National Archives and Records Administration
#32 Blackfoot (Piegan) Family Group At Trans-Mississippi Exposition, 1898
Image source: F. A. Rinehart
#33 Navajo Chiefs Family, 1901
Image source: George Wharton James
#34 Sauk Indian Family, 1899
Image source: Frank Rinehart
#35 Good Bear Family
Image source: Edward S. Curtis
#36 Group Of Kickapoo Indians, Standing Outside Tent, Dressed In Euro-American Clothing, 1909
Image source: Library of Congress
#37 Choctaw Group
Image source: wikimedia
#38 Eskimo Woman And Two Infants, Nome Beach, Ca 1905
Image source: Frank H. Nowell
#39 Kwakiutl Bridal Group, British Columbia, 1914
Image source: Edward S. Curtis
#40 Oswald Smith Family, Warm Springs Chiricahua Apache (New Mexico), Ca. 1908
Image source: Smithsonian Institution
#41 A Ute Family Of A Wife, Husband, And Two Children In Traditional Dress, Between Circa 1870 And Circa 1875
Image source: Harold B. Lee Library
#42 Deaconess Bedell Visiting The Clay Family In The Everglades, 1945
Image source: State Library and Archives of Florida
#43 Piegan Indians In Camp, Probably Montana, Ca 1893
Image source: University of Washington
#44 Indian Family, Unidentified
Image source: National Archives and Records Administration
#45 Family In Front Of Their House, 1938
Image source: National Archives and Records Administration
#46 Henry Wilson & Wife, Mojave Apache, 1898
Image source: Rinehart, F. A. (Frank A.)
#47 Indian Family, Between Ca. 1856-1936
Image source: National Archives and Records Administration
#48 Indian Family
Image source: National Archives and Records Administration
#49 Group Of Laguna Indians At Paquate, New Mexico, Ca.1900
Image source: George Wharton James
#50 Sitting Bull’s Family, 1891
Image source: David Francis Barry
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