The William F. Cody Archive: Documenting the life and times of Buffalo Bill

Commentary on "High Heron, Sioux Indian performer in Buffalo Bill's Wild West, tipi behind"

One of Käsebier's outdoor images in the Buffalo Bill Wild West camp, the village where the performers would live, is High Heron on top his beautiful white horse. You can see two tipis behind him, and also some spectators or other audience members who were interested in seeing the camp. And, he's presenting himself in a bit of a formal way to Käsebier atop his horse, and yet was this a type of image that anyone could get, or was it special because of his growing relationship with the photographer over a long period of time? If you paid admission to the Buffalo Bill Wild West show, you would be able to visit the performers and where they lived while on site. You could have your own camera with you, your own handheld Eastman Kodak or other type of small camera to take snapshots, but very few exist. I think this is an opportunity that Käsebier took, and not many others have.