Leads on Forbes photos

Very happy to hear that you are planning on an AA Forbes book.  Don't know if rmccutch (Rich M.) or inyotortoise51 want to assist in your endeavors, but inyotortoise51 had, and now rmccutch has, a very nice collection of Forbes photos.  You would be welcome to use the tintype image I purchased.  I also have a few images of Forbes Post Cards and images I have obtained (digital copies, unfortunately, did not win actual photo) from eBay over the years.

Also, very much appreciate your blog on Forbes.  Keep up this important work!

Sincerely, Bob

Go To A. A. Forbes Home

New Exhibit Spotlights A. A. Forbes photos: 3/19/11 - 2/28/2012 at ECM

The Eastern California Museum is located at 155 N. Grant, Street, Independence, CA, and is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. For more information, call 760-878-0258, or go to their web site by clicking here. You can see descriptions of the Museum's most recent exhibits by clicking here.
The Eastern California Museum displayed an exhibit on A. A. Forbes (along with Edward Curtis) between March 19, 2011 and February 28, 2012. Sadly, we were not able to attend.

Summary of the Exhibit: Photographs by Andrew A. Forbes. The exhibit presents the two men’s (Forbes and Curtis) differing perspectives on the use of photography to document the changing West. 

Edward S. Curtis stated his intent to create a visual and textual document of American Indians beginning in 1906, for his 20-volume epic, “The North American Indian.” Many of his photos have become iconic images. The Moore Family Trust recently donated 30 Curtis photogravures to the Eastern California Museum. 

These classic, formal Curtis images will be contrasted with the work of pioneer photographer Andrew A. Forbes, who began his photo-documentation of the settling of the Owens Valley and the valley’s Paiute tribes around 1902. Photos of camps and dwellings present the view with the most striking difference between the two men’s approaches to documenting the culture, and cultural changes taking place in the west at the time. 

The two photographers also took different approaches to studio portraits that present contrasting interpretations of their Native American subjects. Guest curator Richard Stewart will provide explanatory text and the exhibit’s interpretive information. Stewart, a member of the Big Pine Paiute Shoshone Tribe is an artist, poet and exhibit designer. The exhibit was titled "1,000 Words or More …” .

Go To A. A. Forbes Home

Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture

Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture

FORBES, ANDREW ALEXANDER (1862-1921)

Andrew Alexander Forbes was born in Ottowa, Wisconsin, in 1862. Although little is known about Forbes's training and early photography work, his activity in the area that is now western Oklahoma appears to have begun around 1885. Like those of other itinerant photographers of the time, his photography studio was a mobile, self-contained unit that could be transported by wagon or pack animal.

Texas State Historical Association

Texas State Historical Association

FORBES, ANDREW ALEXANDER

This link was brought to our attention by Corbett of Fairbanks, Alaska - Thanks, Corbett!

FORBES, ANDREW ALEXANDER (1862–1921). Andrew Alexander Forbes, photographer, was born in Ottawa Township, Waukesha County, Wisconsin, on April 18, 1862, the fifth child of James McLaren and Lucinda P. (Sanders) Forbes. Although little is known about him, his photographs are important historical documents that present the often tedious reality of life on the range. In the late 1880s Forbes began traveling on seasonal circuits through Texas and Oklahoma, visiting isolated spreads to photograph cowboys. He used glass plates, probably commercially prepared, to take his pictures. Ranchhands would pay fifty cents to a dollar for his photographs, and they gave him free bed and board. In addition to the expected shots of cowboys roping, branding, and dipping cattle, Forbes photographed cowhands engaged in more prosaic activities such as cooking, eating, smoking, and packing their gear.