Article created by: Viktorija Strelciunaite

Family photos remain an important way of preserving our legacy for future generations. As time capsules of sorts, they gift our descendants the chance to connect with their roots and feel a sense of belonging. It was no different for Native American communities. Family photos from the late 19th and early 20th century served to capture their rich history during a time of profound cultural change. We’ve found 50 such images, giving you a front-row look into Native American family life. These vintage photos capture multiple generations, often dressed up in a mix of native and western attire. Rare and fascinating, they reveal how Native Americans held onto family, culture, and traditions, even while facing enormous difficulties.

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#1

Navajo Riders In Canyon De Chelly, 1904

Vintage Native American family riding horses across a desert landscape with large rock formations in the background.

Library of Congress Report

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    #2

    Coeur D'alene Man, Phillip Wildshoe And Family, In His Chalmers Automobile, 1916

    Vintage Native American family dressed in traditional attire riding in an early 20th-century open car outdoors.

    Frank Palmer Report

    Final score:
    2points
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    #3

    Samson Beaver, His Wife Leah, And Daughter Frances Louise, 1907

    Vintage Native American family portrait outdoors with traditional clothing and natural background in sepia tone.

    Mary Schaffer Warren Report

    Final score:
    1point
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    #4

    Inupiat Family From Noatak, Alaska, 1929

    Vintage Native American family portrait in traditional fur clothing, showing a mother, father, and child close together.

    Edward S. Curtis Report

    Final score:
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    #5

    Apache Mother And Child, 1903

    Vintage Native American family photo of a mother carrying her child wrapped in traditional cloth and basket carrier.

    Library of Congress Report

    Final score:
    1point
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    #6

    Eskimo Mother And Child In Furs, Nome, Alaska, 1915

    Vintage Native American family photo showing a mother carrying her sleeping child wearing traditional clothing and headdress.

    National Archives at College Park Report

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    #7

    Chief Little Wound With Wife And Son, 1899

    Vintage Native American family posed in traditional clothing with feather accessories in a historic black and white photo.

    Library of Congress Report

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    #8

    Makah Man And Woman With Canoe And Fish, Ca 1900

    Vintage Native American family by the water with a canoe and woman holding fish on a sandy shore.

    Anders Beer Wilse Report

    Final score:
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    #9

    Mille Lacs Ojibwa Family, Minnesota, USA, 1920s

    Vintage Native American family photo showing parents with a swaddled baby in traditional and early 20th century clothing.

    British Museum Report

    Final score:
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    #10

    Charging Thunder, Sioux & Wife, American Indians, 1900

    Vintage Native American family portrait showing a man and woman in traditional clothing and accessories, side profile view.

    Library of Congress Report

    Final score:
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    #11

    Native Family At Their Home, Yukon Territory, Circa 1897

    Vintage Native American family standing outside a traditional tipi, dressed in early 20th-century clothing.

    Eric A. Hegg Report

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    #12

    Photograph Of Chief Medicine Man Of Chippewa Indians Axel Pasey With His Family, 1936

    Vintage Native American family dressed in traditional clothing standing outdoors near a log cabin in a historical black and white photo.

    National Archives and Records Administration Report

    Final score:
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    #13

    Apache Woman, At Base Of Tree, Holding Infant In Cradleboard In Her Lap, 1906

    Native American mother holding her baby in a vintage family photo with traditional clothing and a woven cradleboard.

    Library of Congress Report

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    #14

    Apache Indian Grandmother Carrying Her Grandchild On Her Back And Three Others Sitting Nearby, Palomas Indian Reservation, 1903

    Vintage Native American family photo showing an elder woman and children sitting together outdoors in traditional attire.

    James, George Wharton Report

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    #15

    Stampede & Family "Sioux", 1910

    Vintage Native American family dressed in traditional regalia, including feathered headdress and beaded clothing, posing for portrait.

    Library of Congress Report

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    #16

    Utes, Chief Sevara And Family, 1885

    Vintage Native American family portrait with adults and children dressed in traditional clothing and cradleboards.

    Detroit Publishing Co. Report

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    #17

    Group Of Sioux And Apache Indians, 1904

    Vintage Native American family group photo featuring traditional clothing and headdresses in a historical outdoor setting.

    Miscellaneous Items in High Demand, PPOC, Library of Congress Report

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    #18

    Woman And A Baby, Utes, 1899

    Vintage Native American family photo showing mother with braided hair holding a wrapped baby in traditional clothing.

    Library of Congress Report

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    #19

    American Indian Couple With Baby, 1904-1918

    Vintage Native American family portrait with father, mother, and baby in traditional clothing and cradleboard.

    SMU Libraries Digital Collections Report

    Final score:
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    #20

    Family Of Chief Nouh "Jimmy" Sluiskin, Yakima -Yakama- Indian Tribe, 1915

    Vintage Native American family posing outside wooden house, wearing traditional clothing and holding baskets and belongings.

    Asahel Curtis Report

    Final score:
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    #21

    Cabin Of Harriet Brooks, 1908

    Vintage Native American family posing outside a rustic log cabin surrounded by trees in a historic black and white photo.

    Fred A. Olds Report

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    #22

    A Comanche Mother And Child, 1896-1927

    Vintage Native American family photo showing a woman holding a baby wrapped in a traditional cradleboard.

    Edward S. Curtis Report

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    #23

    Photograph Of Knik Chief Nikaly And His Family Near Anchorage, Alaska

    Vintage Native American family photo showing multiple generations of children and adults outdoors by a tent.

    National Archives at College Park Report

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    #24

    Choctaw Group

    Vintage Native American family dressed in traditional clothing posing outdoors for a historical black and white photo.

    wikimedia Report

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    #25

    Eskimo Men, Women And Children Wearing Native And Western Clothing, Alaska, Ca 1900

    Vintage Native American family group dressed in traditional clothing standing outdoors in a historical black and white photo.

    Eric A. Hegg Report

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    #26

    Native American Family In Photo, Taken Between 1898 And 1902

    Vintage Native American family portrait outdoors with parents and children dressed in traditional clothing near a wagon.

    Brooklyn Museum Report

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    See Also on Bored Panda
    #27

    Indians Bannock, Idaho

    Vintage Native American family dressed in traditional clothing standing outdoors in a natural grassy setting.

    wikimedia Report

    Final score:
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    #28

    Navajo Chiefs Family, 1901

    Vintage Native American family portrait with traditional clothing and blankets, showing multiple generations together outdoors.

    George Wharton James Report

    Final score:
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    #29

    Missionary Woman Visiting A Walapai Indian Family, Hackbury, Arizona, Ca.1900

    Vintage Native American family portrait with adults and children seated outdoors near wooden structure.

    Pierce, C.C. (Charles C.) Report

    Final score:
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    #30

    Oswald Smith Family, Warm Springs Chiricahua Apache (New Mexico), Ca. 1908

    Vintage Native American family standing outside a tent in traditional and early 20th-century clothing in a forested area.

    Smithsonian Institution Report

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    #31

    A Ute Family Of A Wife, Husband, And Two Children In Traditional Dress, Between Circa 1870 And Circa 1875

    Vintage Native American family photo showing traditional clothing and cultural heritage in a historic black and white image.

    Harold B. Lee Library Report

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    #32

    Hopi Mother And Daughter From A Wealthy Family At Mishongnovi (Mashongnavi), Arizona, Ca.1898

    Vintage Native American family portrait with a mother and daughter dressed in traditional clothing and jewelry.

    George Wharton James Report

    Final score:
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    #33

    Deaconess Bedell Visiting The Clay Family In The Everglades, 1945

    Vintage Native American family sitting and standing under a thatched roof, wearing traditional clothing in a rural setting.

    State Library and Archives of Florida Report

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    #34

    Piegan Indians In Camp, Probably Montana, Ca 1893

    Vintage Native American family sitting outside a traditional tipi in an open landscape, wearing period clothing and blankets.

    University of Washington Report

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    #35

    Blackfoot (Piegan) Family Group At Trans-Mississippi Exposition, 1898

    Vintage Native American family portrait with men, women, and children dressed in traditional clothing from the early 1900s.

    F. A. Rinehart Report

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    #36

    Family In Front Of Their House, 1938

    Vintage Native American family standing outside a wooden house, capturing an authentic moment from the past.

    National Archives and Records Administration Report

    Final score:
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    See Also on Bored Panda
    #37

    Sauk Indian Family, 1899

    Vintage Native American family photo featuring traditional clothing and accessories in a sepia-toned portrait setting.

    Frank Rinehart Report

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    #38

    Henry Wilson & Wife, Mojave Apache, 1898

    Vintage Native American family portrait with man standing and woman seated, both dressed in traditional early 20th century clothing.

    Rinehart, F. A. (Frank A.) Report

    Final score:
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    #39

    Paloos/Colville Family Posing With Pony, Colville Indian Reservation, Washington, Ca. 1900-1910

    Vintage Native American family photo showing a young woman on horseback with two adults standing beside her outdoors.

    Latham, Edward H. Report

    Final score:
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    #40

    Indian Family, Unidentified

    Vintage Native American family photo showing multiple generations posing outdoors in traditional early 20th-century clothing.

    National Archives and Records Administration Report

    Final score:
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    #41

    Indian Family, Marsden's

    Vintage Native American family portrait outdoors, showing multiple generations dressed in early 20th century clothing.

    National Archives and Records Administration Report

    Final score:
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    #42

    Good Bear Family

    Vintage Native American family portrait featuring traditional clothing and cultural accessories in a historical black and white photo.

    Edward S. Curtis Report

    Final score:
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    #43

    Group Of Kickapoo Indians, Standing Outside Tent, Dressed In Euro-American Clothing, 1909

    Vintage Native American family portrait outdoors with multiple generations, children, adults, and a person on horseback.

    Library of Congress Report

    Final score:
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    #44

    Kwakiutl Bridal Group, British Columbia, 1914

    Vintage Native American family dressed in traditional attire standing in front of carved totem poles and wooden structure.

    Edward S. Curtis Report

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    #45

    Sitting Bull's Family, 1891

    Vintage Native American family dressed in traditional clothing standing in front of a teepee on a grassy plain.

    David Francis Barry Report

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    #46

    Unidentified Indian Family

    Vintage Native American family portrait showing adults and children dressed in early 20th-century clothing on a wooden porch.

    National Archives and Records Administration Report

    Final score:
    0points
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    See Also on Bored Panda
    #47

    Eskimo Woman And Two Infants, Nome Beach, CA 1905

    Native American family vintage photo showing a mother holding two infants, dressed in traditional clothing outdoors.

    Frank H. Nowell Report

    Final score:
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    #48

    Indian Family, Between Ca. 1856-1936

    Vintage Native American family photo showing multiple generations standing outside a building dressed in early 20th century clothing.

    National Archives and Records Administration Report

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    #49

    Indian Family

    Vintage Native American family photo showing multiple generations posed outside a house in early 1900s traditional clothing.

    National Archives and Records Administration Report

    Final score:
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    #50

    Group Of Laguna Indians At Paquate, New Mexico, Ca. 1900

    Vintage Native American family sitting outdoors in traditional clothing, capturing a moment of daily life in black and white.




    George Wharton James Report

    Final score:
    0points
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