Photograph taken 1897-1898. Seated, left: Helen Edmo; standing, left: Bessie Edmo; seated, center: Lizzie Randall Edmo (b. 1869 d. 1968) holding Eugene Edmo; standing, right: Jack Edmo. Credit: * National Archives and Records Administration, Still Picture Branch: 75-SEI-93

The 148 glass plate negatives had been housed in the NARA since the 1930s, unattributed and unidentified, these evocative images had nevertheless been widely reproduced. We know today that they are the work of Benedicte Wrensted, taken between 1895 and 1912. An additional 148 glass negatives housed since the 1940s in the Idaho Museum of Natural History, Pocatello were also unattributed. A number of these were taken by Benedicte Wrensted as well.

One of the goals of this exhibition has been to demonstrate the ways in which photographs, even those a century old, can be placed in historical context. Only 1% of the Wrensted images at the NARA were identified at the onset of the project. Once they were shown to the descendants at the Fort Hall Indian Reservation , the families of origin were discovered. Individual names were recovered from written records, and today 84% of Wrensted subjects have been identified.

Many of the photographs in this exhibit are modern enlargements from copy negatives made from the best possible prints, which were in turn made from the original dry-plate glass negatives. A few of the reproductions are made from vintage prints. Enlargements made directly from original glass negatives are indicated by an asterisk (*).