Stanley Bear (?) — Studio Portrait

A Plains man, possibly identified as Stanley Bear, sits for a formal studio portrait holding both a pipe and a hand of cards. The photographer, W. R. Cross, operated in Niobrara, Nebraska among Ponca and Sioux communities after the 1877 Ponca removal. The object's verso is distinguished by its elaborate illustrated advertisement promising views of local Indigenous peoples. This promotional design, showing a camera cart drawn by cherubs across the plains, survives as a sophisticated example of a regional photographer's imprint.