The United States took control of Alaska, its new purchase from Russia, on October 18, 1867 during an official transfer in Sitka, Alaska. Quickly, America established military posts in Sitka, Wrangell, Kenai, Kodiak, Tongass Island and the Pribilof Islands. By 1870, however, Sitka was the only remaining active U. S. military post.
The federal government wanted more information about America's military facilities in this little-known land, so it asked Maj.Gen. Henry W. Halleck to gather information about the harbors and military outposts there. Halleck headed the war department's Military Division of the Pacific, which was based in San Francisco. He chose photographer Eadweard Muybridge of San Francisco to go there with him and take photos. On July 29, 1868 Muybridge and Halleck left San Francisco for Alaska aboard a steamer. On the way, Muybridge took a few photos of Canada's Vancouver Island: at Nanaimo, Victoria and the U. S. naval base at Esquimault
Muybridge and Halleck Arrive in Alaska
All the Alaskan places they visited were in southeastern Alaska. The travelers first reached Alaska on August 13, docking at Fort Tongass. Muybridge wrote of the native Alaskans there: "[They] are well advanced in the industrial arts, some of them, such as the Tongass, being polished and educated." ( In referring to the Tongass, Muybridge might have been speaking of the Tlingit or Haida Indians.) In his Tongass Island photos, one of the images he captured was of a Native Alaskan totem.
The scouting party arrived at Fort Wrangle (now spelled Wrangell) on August 15, where Muybridge photoographed the military post, a cemetery and Native Alaskans. At each stop, Muybridge made photos. The steamer docked at Sitka, the final and most important destimation, on August 18. Muybridge photographed there four or five days. He wrote that Sitka was "not nearly so cold in winter as Washington."
Sitka
In Sitka among the photos he made were of Alaskan chiefs and "Russo Greek Priests" of the Russian Orthodox Church. He photographed St. Michael's Church, now known as the Cathedral of St. Michael the Archangel. Muybridge captured an image of the exterior of U. S. soldiers' barracks and the stacked timber that could be used for building more . He also made images of the Sitka Custom House and the Sitka Hospital.
In an unidentified city, Muybridge photographed a group of Native Alaskan workers. He photographed Native Alaskans often, although some of the places where he took the photos are unidentified. In one photo, Alaskan men and women, perhaps Tlingit Indians, stand before the camera with blankets over their shoulders and a U. S. soldier in uniform stands at the center rear.
Photos For Sale
By the first week of September, Muybridge was back in San Francisco, and by October Halleck had the photos. Even though the government had commissioned them, Muybridge in 1872 offered at least some of them for sale. Buyers could choose from some 36 "stereoscopic" cards--each card showed two similar photos viewed when the card was inserted into a stereoscope. Muybridge's ad stated that the pictures were "portraits of Indians, illustrations of Indian life" and views of land and ships taken while aboard the steamer. About a dozen larger 7"x9" prints were also for sale.
Compared to most of his other photographic work, Muybridge spent only a short time photographing, and perhaps even planning, his Alaskan subjects. It would have been very difficult for him to anticipate the shooting conditions he would find there. As an enterprising photographer, he fit this photo session into his other photographic work. While these photos are not as impressive as some of his other work, they are historically significant because they are believed to be the first official U. S. photos of Alaska.
Sources:
Haas, Robert Bartlett. Muybridge: Man in Motion. Berkeley: University of California Press.1976.
Hendricks, Gordon. Eadweard Muybridge: The Father of the Motion Picture. New York: Grossman Publishers. 1975.
Alaska History and Cultural Studies - Alaska's Heritage Website. Chapter 4-1. " Americans Come to Alaska." 15 October 2008.
Alaska State Library Historical Collections Website.. "Guide to Collection, Eadweard James Muybridge Photograph Collection, 1868-1869." 3 November 2008.
