Stereograph of troops with marching band: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A sepia tone stereograph card of U. S. Army infantry troops in Niobrara, Nebraska. In both left and right stereoviews, several men in full infantry and marching band uniforms stand in formation on a wide lawn. They are flanked by two large white buildings and mature trees. In the left stereoview, the last soldier seen at the right-most of the right stereoview, is not in frame on the left stereoview.

On the reverse of the photographic card, in black ink, is a railroad extension lot list, and details about the front image’s photographer. From top to bottom, it reads: [LOT A. / Pyramid Park (D. T.) Scenery. Northern Pacific Railroad Extension. / No. 1. End of Track. / “ 2. Construct on Train. / “ 3. Laying Track. / “ 4. Walker’s Cut, showing Vein of Coal 10 ft. thick. / “ 5. Scoria Cut and Inaccurate. Clay 55 ft. deep. / “ 6. Bad Land Scenery. Summit, N. P. R. R. entrance to Bad Land’s. / “ 7. Bad Land Scenery. Summit, N. P. R. R. entrance to Bad Land’s. / “ 8. 3 Butes; 1 Lignite and Clay; 2 Indurated and Scoria. / “ 9. Petrified Stumps on Indurated Clay Pillars, near N. P. R. R. Cuts. / “10. Petrified Stumps on Indurated Clay Pillars, near N. P. R. R. Cuts. / “ 11. Jasper Rock, Scoria Cut N. P. R. R. / “ 12. Cantonment, on Little Missouri River, N. P. R. R. Crossing. / “ 13. Lignite, 5 ft. vein, on Little Missouri River, N. P. R. R. Crossing./ “ 14. Surveying Party, resident Engineer, S. N. Keith. / “ 15. Pulpit Bute. / “16. Monumental Rocks, Sandstone. / “ 18. Alkaline Clay Butes. / “ 19. Near Cedar Canon, Scoria Butes in distance. / “ 20. Near Cedar Canon, Scoria Butes in distance. [others. / “ 21. Cedar Canon. Fossil leaves are found here by Prof. Denton and / “ 22. / “ 23. Wild Scenery near Cedar Canon, / “ 24. West Missouri River. / “ 25. / “ 26. / “ 27. Bute Indurated Clay. / “ 28. Grading Camp, West Missouri River. / “ 29. Hard Clay Mounds. / “ 30. Indurated Clay Bute. [at Cantonment. / “ 31. Two Ree Indian Scouts, “Four Thorn” and “Bull in the Water,”/ W. R. CROSS / PHOTOGRAPHER / NIOBRARA, NEB.].

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: ca. 1875
• Photograph by: William Richard Cross, American, born 1843
• Subject of: United States Army, American, founded 1775
• Subject of: Unidentified Man or Men
• Type: stereographs
• Medium: ink on cardboard
• Dimensions: H x W (Image, Sheet, and Mount): 3 11/16 x 6 11/16 in. (9.3 x 17 cm)
• Place captured: Niobrara, Knox County, Nebraska, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: American West
• Topic: Band (Music)
• Topic: Buffalo Soldiers
• Topic: Military
• Topic: Musicians
• Topic: Photography
• Topic: U.S. History, 1865-1921
• Object number: 2013.244.5
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The displayed image also has an explicit CC0 designation. The underlying object's rights statement is: Public Domain Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.