Exhibition at UW Features Historical Photos of Crow Tribe

The University of Wyoming’s American Heritage Center (AHC) is hosting “Through the Lens: The Life & Legacy of Richard Throssel,” an exhibition featuring photographs from the AHC’s collection that was developed by the Western Heritage Center in Billings, Mont.

Richard Throssel spent a decade working with the Crow Indians in Montana at the start of the last century and photographing them. This exhibition about his life highlights his unique visual perspective on the tribe, telling their story from the perspective of an insider.

Born in 1882 in Washington state, Throssel came to southern Montana in 1900 and soon began working at the Crow Indian reservation along the Wyoming/Montana border. In 1905, he took up photography and, in 1906, the Crow adopted him into the tribe.

Throssel’s tribal membership gave him access to tribal activities and people to whom no other photographer had access at the time, for the Crows or any other tribe. He took more than 2,000 photographs during his association with the Crows, before and after moving to Billings.

The exhibition tells Throssel’s story and how his work is now recognized as an important treasure trove of visual information about the Crows and other tribes as they transitioned from a horse-based, nomadic culture to a more settled life on the reservation at the start of the 20th century.

The exhibition resulted from an informal partnership between UW’s AHC and the Western Heritage Center. The exhibition was curated by Lauren Hunley, of the Western Heritage Center, from photographs and negatives preserved in the AHC. Furthermore, several members of the Crow tribe participated in the exhibition’s design and photograph selection.

The exhibition shares the story of Throssel and how his photographs of Apsaalooke (Crow), Tsit-tsit-tsa (Northern Cheyenne) and Lakota (Sioux) people provided agency and insight to Indigenous cultures in transition.

“As a Metis man of Cree and English heritage, Throssel’s Native ancestry gave him unique entrance and perspective into Native life,” says Lauren Hunley, community historian of the Western Heritage Center. “While other photographers are photographing white ideals of romanticized Indigenous life, Throssel is working with his subjects to show their life as they wanted to be depicted.”

“The AHC is pleased that the Western Historical Center decided to feature the photographs of Richard Throssel held here,” AHC Director Paul Flesher says. “We are excited to be the first location of the exhibit after it finished its run in Billings.”

The exhibition is open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. five days a week. It is open now and runs until Aug. 29 at the AHC, 2111 Willet Drive in Laramie. For more information, visit www.uwyo.edu/ahc/exhibits.html or email ahcref@uwyo.edu.

The Western Heritage Center is a nationally accredited museum dedicated to sharing and interpreting the stories of the Yellowstone River Valley and the Northern High Plains. Information on exhibits, resources and upcoming programs can be found at www.ywhc.org or by calling (406) 256-6809.