Seven men, three sitting, four standing, are grouped in a studio before a backdrop which has tipis painted on it. Two of the standing men are white men, identified as John McBain and Lee Moorhouse. Both wear suits and ties and McBain wears a felt hat while Moorhouse wears a high top hat. Both men have moustaches. Moorhouse holds a long pipe and flat geometrically beaded bag with fringe in his right hand, and his left hand is on the shoulder of the man seated in front of him, identified as Young Chief of the Cayuse. A Native American man, identified as Chief Sho-o-way of the Cayuse, stands in the back, also wearing a suit. He has a top-coat with furred lapels over it, and a conspicuous watch chain and medal. He wears no hat, and his gray or white hair hangs to his shoulders, where it is curled. The fourth man in the back row, identified as Chief Wolf, does not seem to be wearing headgear, but the middle section of his dark hair is pulled back from his forehead and puffed up above his head, and there seem to be feathers or other ornaments in it. The hair on the sides hangs at least to his shoulders. He wears a choker necklance and buckskin shirt, with a blanket across his left shoulder to the right side of his waist. He appears to be holding a large white feather or wing with dark spots in his right hand. The three Native American men seated in front are all wearing headgear. The man on the left, seated on a wooden chair, is identified as Chief Peo of the Umatilla. He wears a stand-up bonnet of feathers over his shoulder-length hair, and seven rows of necklaces, and his shirt is decorated with shells or teeth along its v-neck, with a stiff fringe below the shoulders. His hands are crossed on his lap, and the lower hand rests on a patterned blanket hanging between his legs. His upper, right, arm, is crossed over, and he has another blanket draped over it, and a ring on his hand. His pants have wide strips of beading down the outside of the legs. He seems to be wearing plain moccasins. The man in the center has been identifed as Chief Homily of the Walla Walla. He seems to be wearing a military cap, ornamented with beading, feathers, and fringe. His buckskin shirt has rectangular areas of beading on the sleeves and a row of ermine across the chest and shoulders.He seems to be wearing plain buckskin chaps over his pants, and beaded moccasins. His hands are in his lap and in his right hand he holds a pipe, from which a beaded bag dangles. The third seated man, Young Chief, wears a straw or felt hat with a hatband and an ornament standing up in the front, out of which emerge plumes of feathers which curve over the top of his hat. He has dark shoulder-length hair, and an earring is visible. He too wears loops of beads around his neck. He seems to be wearing a military jacket with chevrons at the wrist over a plaid shirt. The jacket is decorated with fringe at the shoulders which depends lower than his elbows. He has a patterned blanket over both legs and rolled in his lap, with patterned trousers underneath and floral beaded moccasins. His hands in his lap grasp a hatchet-style pipe, which has a flat beaded bag with streamers hanging from it. The area beneath the men is covered with a very hairy rug or mat, which is slightly rolled up at the right side of the photograph.
An outside photograph of a Native American woman sitting in front of an unadorned blanket backdrop that is hung on a wooden frame. She has been identified as Ruth Coyote, is dressed in regalia, and is sitting on a stool or chair over which has been draped a Pendleton blanket. On her head is a cornhusk hat with a v-shaped geometrical design. Her hair is in braids, tipped with fur wraps. She is wearing large, circular earrings and a neck choker with long decorative bead strands hanging down the front. She is dressed in an old-style, deer-tail, beaded buckskin dress. The dress has a highly decorative bodice with fringe at the sleeve ends, side seams, and hemline. She has bracelets on both of her wrists; her left wrist has two wide-band (possibly metal) bracelets and her right wrist exhibits approximately eight smaller ones. On her lap she holds a cornhusk bag with a geometric design. Visible under her skirt can be seen either leggings, cuffed with a beaded floral design, or moccasins with a beaded floral design. To the right of the backdrop is a wooden walkway.
A Native American man, woman, and young girl stand in front of a tipi in a meadow of tall grasses in this stereographic photo. Spread out at their feet lie a couple of striped blankets. The child wears a dress of calico or printed cotton, and a necklace. The woman wears a long dark cloth dress with a light-coloured underdress or shirt beneath it. Around her waist is a belt. She holds a piece of cloth or hide in her left hand. She wears earrings, and her long braids hang down in front of her. The man's hair is pulled behind him. He wears earrings and some kind of hair ties or ornaments, as well as necklaces, one a choker. He wears a cloth shirt over a plaid blanket resembling a kilt, and a belt with a pouch. In his right hand he holds a book or box. In his left hand he holds the tip of an arrow, which has a light-colored feather. He seems to be clasping a bag to his left side with his arm. To the right of the tipi is a leafless tree. In the background, a low hill rises.
A Native American man, identified as Francis Lincoln of the Cayuse Tribe, is sitting in front of a tipi, dressed in full regalia. He is wearing a headdress with feathers, cloth pants made from a blanket, and a plaid, fringed breechcloth. He has beaded moccasins, leather straps with bells wrapped around his calves and ankles, and fur arm bands with feathers and tassles. He has a beaded belt around his waist and a fur bandoleer with beaded decorations. He is wearing a beaded choker and his hair is tied into two long plaits. He is holding a stick or rod covered with fur and adorned with feathers. His chair and the ground around it are covered by two Pendleton blankets. There are a couple of objects placed on the blankets near his feet. The tipi fills up most of the background in this image.
An outside photograph of a Native American man who has been identified as Uma-Som-Kin. He is standing with a horse and dog to his left, and a tipi behind him. His hair is in braids with hair ornaments or ties attached to their ends and he is wearing a cowboy hat. He is dressed in a shirt, and over that a coat made out of a Pendleton Blanket. In his right hand he is holding a rifle, and in his left hand both a hand drum and horse reins. He is wearing either calf-high boots or moccasins. The horse or pony has a spotted coat; it is bareback with what appears to be a leather halter. The dog is between the horse and man. It also has a mottled or spotted coat, with uncropped ears and unknown breed heritage. The tipi is made of canvas layers. There is a cloth or canvas doorway directly behind the man; on the back of the tipi leans a broken tule mat. There are small wooden poles and various pieces of wood also leaning against the tipi's exterior. In the background are bushes and deciduous trees, perhaps cottonwood trees, leading to the hillside.