Loading the "Chuck" Wagon: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A hand-colored photographic postcard titled, “Loading the ‘Chuck’ Wagon.” by Charles E. Morris. The postcard depicts a group of eleven men loading a wagon on the plains. The men and wagon are pictured in a flat, green expanse under a blue sky with white clouds. The wagon is wooden with large red wheels. The back wheels are bigger than the front wheels and the wagon is uncovered but has curved supports across the top for a cover to fit over. The wagon is hitched to two teams of horses, though only the two on the right are visible in the image. One man is in the back of the wagon, bent over as if situating supplies. Another man is on the ground, lifting a long object into the back of the wagon. Behind him, four other men prepare to load more supplies. To the left of the wagon, two men are rolling a large white textile. All the men wear hats with wide brims and some wear leather chaps and vests. At the top left is printed in red text [Loading the "Chuck" Wagon]. At the top right is printed [M401]. The reverse is white with green printed text. It reads [POST CARD.] across the top center. There is a short vertical line down the center dividing the card in one section on the left titled [This space for writing] and [This side is for the Address] with lines below on the right. In the top right corner is a green one cent postage stamp depicting Benjamin Franklin in profile with a fade postmark stamp over that reads [ROCK RI[VER] / SEP /12/ 1909[?]]. Handwritten in pencil below the stamp is the postcard price [1 50[underlined]]. Down the left edge of the postcard is black text that reads [Photo by Chas. E. Morris, Chinook, Mont. Made in Germany.]. There is a message handwritten from "Susie" to Mary Ellis, sent to an address in Cheyenne. At the left is printed [Photo by Chas. E. Morris, Chinook, Mont. Printed in Germany.].

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1909
• Manufactured by: Unidentified
• Photograph by: Charles E. Morris, American, 1877 - 1938
• Subject of: Lemuel Ellis, American, 1868 - 1949
• Subject of: Mary Ellis, American, 1871 - 1961
• Subject of: Hattie Lassen, American, 1879 - 1970
• Subject of: Grace Boyle, American, born 1887
• Subject of: Unidentified Woman or Women
• Type: picture postcards
• Medium: ink on paper
• Dimensions: H x W: 3 7/16 × 5 3/8 in. (8.7 × 13.7 cm)
• Place depicted: Chinook, Blaine County, Montana, United States, North and Central America
• Place printed: Germany, Europe
• Place used: Rock River, Albany County, Wyoming, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: American West
• Topic: Cooking and dining
• Topic: Foodways
• Topic: Labor
• Topic: Photography
• Object number: 2014.37.36.6
• 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.