A view of a one-room log cabin identified as the "office of the U.S. Indian Agent Umatilla Agency erected in 1863". The cabin appears to stand on a small rise; deciduous trees are visible off to the left, and grass and low shrubs behind. In the background is a view of a river and distant shore. The cabin is built of rough-hewn logs, slightly notched, with chinking. Some of the chinking between the logs has chipped away in some spots. The roof is constructed of wooden shingles, some of which appear to be peeling or flaking. The cabin looks as though it has been modified from an earlier state: there is a heap of rock at the gable end, in front of an opening now blocked with boards. The roof at that end has a gap left, as though for a chimney; it seems likely the remains of the chimney are the rocks on the ground. The door too may have been modified; in the photo the door jambs are wide boards nailed over logs, rather than fitted in with them. The door now takes up half the long side of the cabin, and is ill-fitting, with two wide doors with hinges that open outward and wide gaps under both doors. Two long poles protrude from under and between the doors. At the right side of the cabin two metal rings have been driven into one of the logs, and a chain hangs from one of them.
The approach to W. S. Bowman's photography studio. There is a raised ramp, with "Photographs" painted on it, and the studio is also raised on stilts, since it is built on the edge of a river bank. The wooden building has a false front with "Bowman Photographer" painted at the top, and is surrounded on at least two sides by a narrow porch. On the porch are a chair and a bench. The front door is open and a low chair can be seen within. Between the two front windows and the door hangs a board displaying portrait photographs. On the left a canvas awning hangs over wooden steps , and a lower wooden shed can be seen. Trees and another building can be seen in the background.
Rev. James N. Cornelison sits in the doorway of a house. He sits at ease petting a large spotted dog. He is dressed in a suit with open jacket, vest, fold-down collar, and plaid bow tie, and appears to be wearing cowboy boots. He has a mustache and short beard. His legs are crossed and partially obscured by a plaid blanket, half of which lies in a heap at his feet. Next to it on the Reverend's right is a small pile of kindling and a chopped log. Behind him in the interior of the dwelling stands a table with turned legs, on which are piled a number of books. A cord or rope lies on the ground next to the dog.
W. S. Bowman's photography studio in Pendleton, Oregon. Two stories, of brick or stone, with a crenellated roofline across the front and wrapping partway around the sides of the roof, it sits on a high foundation near the river. The ramp leading to the entrance has been braced with a stone retaining wall. In the window of the studio are displayed a number of photographs. The deck runs around at least two sides of the building. To the left is a wooden false-fronted building with the painted word "Persian" visible, and beyond that what looks like a large house.
An outside photograph of a Native American man who has been identified as Ed Chapman; he is kneeling on the ground in front of a sweathouse. The sweathouse is dug into the ground, so that the only thing visible is the door opening. The opening is framed with wood poles or sticks; there is a Pendleton blanket, folded on top of the sweathouse that partly covers the opening. The man looks as if he is ready to enter the sweathouse. His hair is loose, and he wears no shirt. He has a Pendleton Blanket wrapped around his waist. There are two rocks on the ground in the foreground. In the background are the bare branches of trees and brush., Ed Chapman, ready for the bath. [Tribal man kneeling by sweat house.]
A three-storey brick building, identified as the St. Andrews Roman Catholic Mission School of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, is in the middle of the photograph. A series of hills are located behind the building. An unpaved street runs parallel to the hills. The first floor of the building has four windows on the near side of the building. A set of steps lead to a door with an entryway, located between the four windows. A sidewalk leads from the steps to the street. The second floor has five windows on the near side. The top floor has two windows and a chimney. Three basement windows are visible at ground level. On the street side of the building, there are three windows and a porch on each of the first two floors. On the ground floor, a set of steps lead from the street to the porch. On the second-storey porch, a ladder leans against the wall, leading to a window on the top floor. A fence is in front of the building. A flag pole, bearing the United States flag, extends at an angle from the street side of the building. Five unidentified individuals, wearing Euro-American clothing and hats, are standing in front of the school. One unidentified individual, wearing Euro-American clothing and a hat, is standing on the steps leading to the entryway. Another individual, wearing a hat, is in the yard directly behind the fence. Another building is to the far right of the school., [St. Andrew's Roman Catholic mission school, Umatilla Indian reservation.]
A black and white photograph of an old Native American woman sitting on a wooden ladderback chair in front of the door of a wooden building. The door is shut and the doorknob and keyhole visible. The woman wears a gingham dress which buttons up the front, with a dark belt or tie around her waist which has a fringe at its end. There is a tear in the dress behind her right shoulder. Her graying hair hangs in front of her in skinny braids, and she wears a long necklace of large, rounded, dark and light beads. On her left knee she holds an openwork basket that has a zigzag design and possibly beading and a hank of wool or twine wrapped around its handle. On her right knee is a partly-woven item with its tangled ends hanging free.
A group of European American men and women, identified as the personnel of St. Andrews Roman Catholic Mission School of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, are standing in front of a side of a building. They are arranged in three rows. The women, who are all wearing a nun's habit, are standing in the first two rows with their hands clasped. Rosary beads and crucifix necklaces are visible on some of the women. Seven women are in the front row. Six women are in the second row. Six men are in the back row. The men are all wearing clerical collars. The man on the far left, the third man from the left, and the second man from the right are wearing clerical hats. The third man from the right is wearing a light-colored overcoat. The rest of the men are wearing dark-colored priestly garments. The building appears to be wooden with a stone or concrete foundation. Two doors are directly behind the group. Two windows are visible to the far left and to the far right. Wooden planks, forming a sidewalk, lead away from the group to the bottom right.