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Exhibition Not an Ostrich: & Other Images from America's Library

Not an Ostrich: & Other Images from America's Library

GERHARD SISTERS. Geronimo. St. Louis, Missouri, 1904

Gerhard Sisters. Geronimo [famous Apache warrior Geronimo, photographed during the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis, Mo], in 1904. Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress
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Gerhard Sisters. Geronimo. The close-up view of his left eye reveals a reflection of the photographer, ca. 1904. Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress
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GERHARD SISTERS. Geronimo. St. Louis, Missouri, 1904

Emme and Mayme Gerhard photographed Geronimo when he was in town for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition (popularly known as the St. Louis World’s Fair). The sisters opened their successful photography studio just the year before, and their documentation of the fair and portraits of visitors from around the world brought them national renown. A deep zoom into Geronimo’s eyes reveals a reflection of one of the sisters taking the photograph, a detail that had remained hidden until 2009, when it was discovered by a Library of Congress photo conservator.