In this photo, Frances Densmore a pioneering ethnomusicologist and musician is playing a cylinder recording for Mountain Chief (Chief of Montana Blackfeet) to interpret it into Plains Indian Sign Language. Densmore’s aim was to help preserve Native languages and cultures for future generations. Currently, only 75 people in the world are reported to use the Plains Indian language. Original photo. Photo is part of a series exploring sound creators and music studios of the past.
Looks like the recording is so loud it’s blowing his feathers back
Eswercaj
This looks as if they are sitting in a modern fluorescent-lit office building. Colorized historical photos can sometimes be mind boggling.
Agent_00_Negative
This photo is so sad, in some ways. Not the photo itself, but the circumstances are heartbreaking.
HollowGoob
He looks like my Irish grandfather in this colorization. :/
NightMgr
Just to make sure….
Were not those old cylinders made using a device and you sang into the horn to record?
So, isn’t it possible this is him recording the Chief rather than playing a recording?
It makes more sense to me.
Those old recordings are precious. I hope they are preserved. It’s my understanding they now use lasers to pull the data off as some of the cylinders are so fragile they’ll be destroyed if a needle is put to them.
JoeyLock
So is there still a recording of what she was recording? As it seems odd if she was just casually playing a music record for this Chief to listen to I would imagine she was recording him instead?
fifteentabsopen
In this photo, Frances Densmore a pioneering ethnomusicologist and musician is playing a cylinder recording for Mountain Chief (Chief of Montana Blackfeet) to interpret it into Plains Indian Sign Language. Densmore’s aim was to help preserve Native languages and cultures for future generations. Currently, only 75 people in the world are reported to use the Plains Indian language. Original photo. Photo is part of a series exploring sound creators and music studios of the past.
Further Reading: Frances Densmore
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frances_Densmore
Further Reading: Mountain Chief, Chief of Montana Blackfeet
https://doi.org/10.1093/anb/9780198606697.article.2001499
NWGirl2002
One of the best colorized photos I’ve seen
The_kilt_lifta
Looks like the recording is so loud it’s blowing his feathers back
Eswercaj
This looks as if they are sitting in a modern fluorescent-lit office building. Colorized historical photos can sometimes be mind boggling.
Agent_00_Negative
This photo is so sad, in some ways. Not the photo itself, but the circumstances are heartbreaking.
HollowGoob
He looks like my Irish grandfather in this colorization. :/
NightMgr
Just to make sure….
Were not those old cylinders made using a device and you sang into the horn to record?
So, isn’t it possible this is him recording the Chief rather than playing a recording?
It makes more sense to me.
Those old recordings are precious. I hope they are preserved. It’s my understanding they now use lasers to pull the data off as some of the cylinders are so fragile they’ll be destroyed if a needle is put to them.
JoeyLock
So is there still a recording of what she was recording? As it seems odd if she was just casually playing a music record for this Chief to listen to I would imagine she was recording him instead?