Loading Spinner

American Indian Books & Photographs

The history of American Indian culture is an integral component in the overall history of North America, an importance that has been recognized by various scholars, photographers, and organizations over the past century. Publications and photographs that chronicle these tribes, some of which have vanished or are disappearing quickly, are increasingly significant in capturing these unique cultural groups, their practices, and their art forms.

A conscious effort to chronicling these cultures developed in the second half of the 19th century. Photographers, for example, ventured out into the American landscape to capture images of what they could of American Indian life, from styles of dress to dwelling architecture. Others sought to collection works of American Indian art to preserve them for history.

George Gustav Heye compiled a collection of close to 60,000 objects between 1897 and 1916, all of which were feature in his Museum of the American Indian, which opened in 1918. This appreciation of American Indian history is incredibly strong today as these cultures continue to contribute to the American landscape.


Quick Facts

  • Heye’s marvelous collection, which had grown to 163,000 items by the end of the 1920s, can still be seen today: the majority of it became the root of the National Museum of the American Indian, part of the Smithsonian consortium of museums, that opened in 2004
  • Though fictionalized, “The Last of the Mohicans,” written by American author James Fenimore Cooper in 1826, brought renewed interest to the plight of the American Indian in the early 19th century
  • Some of the most striking accounts of this history come from American Indians themselves: Ojibwe Indian writer George Copway wrote a compelling autobiography, published in 1847, that charted his struggles as a young American Indian man

Recommended Items at Auction

See all items

Two Photos of Native Americans Apache Chief and Two Women
Feb 13, 10:00 AM EST
Two Photos of Native Americans Apache Chief and Two Women
by New England Auctions
Est: $100- $200
$1754 Bids
Book Lot: Native American Weapons
Feb 22, 9:30 AM EST
Book Lot: Native American Weapons
by Old Barn Auction
Est: $40- $1,000
$201 Bid
Native American HIstory, New Mexico Zuni Pueblo Photo Prints
Feb 15, 2:00 PM EST
Native American HIstory, New Mexico Zuni Pueblo Photo Prints
by Connoisseur Online
Est: $40- $80
$200 Bids
Piegan Chief Yellow Kidney Photo Print
Feb 15, 2:00 PM EST
Piegan Chief Yellow Kidney Photo Print
by Connoisseur Online
Est: $40- $80
$200 Bids
Native American Indian Chief, Bride Photo Print
Feb 15, 2:00 PM EST
Native American Indian Chief, Bride Photo Print
by Connoisseur Online
Est: $40- $80
$200 Bids
Native American History, Navajo Girl Photo Print
Feb 15, 2:00 PM EST
Native American History, Navajo Girl Photo Print
by Connoisseur Online
Est: $40- $80
$200 Bids
Chief Plenty Coups, Crow Nation Native American Photo
Feb 15, 2:00 PM EST
Chief Plenty Coups, Crow Nation Native American Photo
by Connoisseur Online
Est: $40- $80
$200 Bids
Native American History, Sitting Bull Photo Print
Feb 15, 2:00 PM EST
Native American History, Sitting Bull Photo Print
by Connoisseur Online
Est: $40- $80
$200 Bids
Native American History, Shoshone Village Photo Print
Feb 15, 2:00 PM EST
Native American History, Shoshone Village Photo Print
by Connoisseur Online
Est: $40- $80
$200 Bids
Native American History, Navajo Silversmith Photo Print
Feb 15, 2:00 PM EST
Native American History, Navajo Silversmith Photo Print
by Connoisseur Online
Est: $40- $80
$200 Bids
bp parity badge
Rose & Hopkins, Charley Washakie · Shoshone, 1899
Feb 15, 11:00 AM MST
Rose & Hopkins, Charley Washakie · Shoshone, 1899
by Jackson Hole Art Auction
Est: $800- $1,200
$4000 Bids
Native American History Crow Family Photo Print
Mar 01, 2:00 PM EST
Native American History Crow Family Photo Print
by Connoisseur Online
Est: $40- $80
$200 Bids
Chief Plenty Coups, Crow Nation, American Indian Photo Print
Mar 01, 2:00 PM EST
Chief Plenty Coups, Crow Nation, American Indian Photo Print
by Connoisseur Online
Est: $40- $80
$200 Bids
Native American Indian History, Navajo Girl Photo Print
Mar 01, 2:00 PM EST
Native American Indian History, Navajo Girl Photo Print
by Connoisseur Online
Est: $40- $80
$200 Bids
Native American Indian, Chief Vash-Ghon Jicarilla Apache Photo Print
Mar 01, 2:00 PM EST
Native American Indian, Chief Vash-Ghon Jicarilla Apache Photo Print
by Connoisseur Online
Est: $40- $80
$200 Bids
Native American Indian History, Navajo Silversmith Photo Print
Mar 01, 2:00 PM EST
Native American Indian History, Navajo Silversmith Photo Print
by Connoisseur Online
Est: $40- $80
$200 Bids
Custer' Scout Curly Photo Print
Mar 01, 2:00 PM EST
Custer' Scout Curly Photo Print
by Connoisseur Online
Est: $40- $80
$200 Bids
Muench, Josef, Authentic Color Photo Navajo Shepherd
Feb 23, 10:00 AM PST
Muench, Josef, Authentic Color Photo Navajo Shepherd
by Carnegie's Auction Gallery
Est: $800- $1,200
$6000 Bids
Muench, Josef, Authentic Color Photo Navajo
Feb 23, 10:00 AM PST
Muench, Josef, Authentic Color Photo Navajo
by Carnegie's Auction Gallery
Est: $800- $1,200
$6000 Bids
Edward Curtis - Francisca Chiwiwi - Isleta
Feb 15, 9:00 AM CST
Edward Curtis - Francisca Chiwiwi - Isleta
by Trillium Antique Prints & Rare Books
Est: $150- $300
$500 Bids
Native American History, War Chief, Custer, Little Big Horn Battle
Feb 15, 2:00 PM EST
Native American History, War Chief, Custer, Little Big Horn Battle
by Connoisseur Online
Est: $40- $80
$200 Bids
Piegan Chief Yellow Kidney Photo Print
Mar 01, 2:00 PM EST
Piegan Chief Yellow Kidney Photo Print
by Connoisseur Online
Est: $40- $80
$200 Bids
Where the Two Came to Their Father Portfolio
Feb 20, 10:00 AM EST
Where the Two Came to Their Father Portfolio
by Willow Auction House
Est: $100- $200
$500 Bids
Frank Rinehart 2 Native American Color Tinted Portraits c1900
Feb 22, 9:00 AM PST
Frank Rinehart 2 Native American Color Tinted Portraits c1900
by Carnegie's Auction Gallery
Est: $1,500- $2,000
$1,0000 Bids

Sellers Who Sell American Indian Books & Photographs


Connoisseur Online

Connoisseur Online

Carnegie's Auction Gallery

Carnegie's Auction Gallery

Trillium Antique Prints & Rare Books

Trillium Antique Prints & Rare Books

Ripley Auctions

Ripley Auctions