Lenses for Custer Battlefield

[Two23]

The Custer Battlefield will be more meaningful if you study up on it first. I have about 30 books on the battle, and they leave me with more questions than answers.

I took your advice! While I don't have time to read 30 books before I leave, I did watch the entire 1941 documentary, "They Died With Their Boots On," starring Errol Flynn and Olivia de Haviland. I think I'm in good shape now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4m7RPjQxjmA

I took my lenses out today and did some measuring. The 1858 Derogy Petzval is 6 inch f4, and 10 inch f6.3 converted. The E&HT Anthony RR is 4 inch f10. I just rounded that off to f11 to make it easier. The five stops would then be f11, 16, 22, 32, 45.

The trip will just be my wife and I; kids are now off on their own. No more yelling at the to get up and get going in the morning! I have several places in mind that I'd like to photo with the old lenses between Montana and the West Coast. I've been inspired by my region's photographers of he 1870/80s! I had a thought that if I took two photos with my Chamonix 4x5--one shifted left & one shifted right, maybe I could use those to make my own stereographs from the two negatives? Any reason that wouldn't work? I've been toying with the idea of buying an 1880s Scovill 5x8 stereo and having Star Camera or someone make me a couple of holders for film that I could use. That might be a project for another year.



"Our hearts so stout have got us fame,
For soon 'tis known from whence we came.
Where 'ere we go they dread the name
Of Garryowen in glory."


Kent in SD

[Steven Tribe]

I would have thought that Wounded Knee was a bit off topic as it was long after Custer (1890?) and is universally called a Massacre, these days.

I think it is very likely that RR's were used originally.

[Phil_F_NM]

I would have thought that Wounded Knee was a bit off topic as it was long after Custer (1890?) and is universally called a Massacre, these days.

I think it is very likely that RR's were used originally.

I just put that in there because it is roughly along the route.

Phil Forrest

[MikeL]

While I don't have time to read 30 books before I leave,

I can't help with the lenses, but reading Nathaniel Philbrick's The Last Stand before really made the visit special. He covers interesting pre-battle context on both sides, and you get a sense of all the personalities involved. Enjoy the trip.

[Greg]

I have done a lot of photographic work for our town's museum. Have tried many times to accurately replicate images made in our town in the late 1800s with little success.

Have come to realize that the lenses available back then really greatly varied in many ways, even from the same manufacturer. Have access to a lens that a local town photographer used to make hundreds of images in our town. Wouldn't you know it, the lens is a generic brass lens with no writings on it. A museum piece so not able to take it apart.

In the end, replicated images made in our town over a hundred years ago using modern lenses with similar focal lengths.

Trying replicate one photograph of our town's bank has been a challenge for me to duplicate. Can't even duplicate the wide angle lens used to take that image with my 14mm (14-24mm) Nikkor on my FX Nikon. Would just love to know what ultra, ultra wide angle lens the photographer used back then.

[Vaughn]

Wear an Arrow shirt...

[Two23]

Trying replicate one photograph of our town's bank has been a challenge for me to duplicate. Can't even duplicate the wide angle lens used to take that image with my 14mm (14-24mm) Nikkor on my FX Nikon. Would just love to know what ultra, ultra wide angle lens the photographer used back then.

Might have been something like a circuit camera, a banquet camera, or something like my Kodak Panoram No.1.


Kent in SD

[Kirk Gittings]

Are you talking about the Little Bighorn Battlefield? I haven't heard it called Custer battlefield since I was a kid. https://www.nps.gov/libi/index.htm

[xkaes]

Are you talking about the Little Bighorn Battlefield? I haven't heard it called Custer battlefield since I was a kid. https://www.nps.gov/libi/index.htm

You are correct, but there are many "battlefields" across the West that have been renamed to what they really were, such as the site of the Sand Creek Massacre in Colorado. These were not battles in any way, shape, or form. They were pure and simple massacres of unarmed old men, women and children -- simply genocide. Fortunately, there were some photographers, such as Curtis, who worked to "expose" the life of the Natives -- instead of simply destroying them to grab gold, land, oil, buffalo hides, beaver pelts, etc. Today, many museums in the West have areas dedicated to early Native art, culture, archeology, etc. collections. The Denver Art Museum has an amazing collection, for example. However, they don't allow cameras! But that's good, in a way -- you actually get to think about what happened out here.

You might think that this is all "ancient history". It's not. When I moved to Denver, my grandfather was terrified. He was sure that I would be killed by those "CRAZY INJUNS". He was scared for my life -- because in his youth the "INDIAN WARS" (like THEY actually caused them) were still going on!!! I had to send him a postcard every month to convince him that I was still alive. No kidding.

[Eric Biggerstaff]

The Little Bighorn battlefield is a very interesting place, I have been there many times over the years, the first being about 40 years ago and the most recent being yesterday. They do not mind tripods but be mindful of crowds and it can be a challenging place to set up and not have people in the image. The battlefield is actually spread out over a few miles and you can drive the loop road. There are spots to pull out. If you are lucky there will be nice clouds or even a thunderhead or two to include.

I tend to have the best luck in the fall and during a week day, a couple of years ago I went in November and had the entire place to myself. The crowds were pretty large this week which is to be expected. The best image I made was of a thunderstorm advancing across the Crow tribal lands, far from Custer's last stand.

In terms of lenses, just about anything will do, from wide to long. The fact is, the most interesting setups in my mind are facing the Little Bighorn river from the top of the hill, but then you get the highway in the shot along with some tourist shops. I guess this could be interesting but does not really interest me. There is also a trail that can be walked through the lower part of the battlefield, this gives you a great appreciation for what happened there.

I still have not made an image that speaks to me in a special way, but I always try. Best of luck and have fun!