Larry Taylor discovered a bust of his wife's Osage grandfather Albert Penn at the Smithsonian and it started a passion to document and raise awareness regarding these little known items. You can read more about the story in this article in Smithsonian Magazine.
Since that discovery, Larry in collaboration with the David Hunt of the Smithsonian has devoted his time to documenting the busts made by Frank Micka in the early 20th century. The busts were made from face casts and photographs of living people belonging to 56 tribes and comprising 336 individuals, including Lakota/Dakota people from Standing Rock. A full listing of his work on Lakota/Dakota (Sioux) busts can be found here.
Larry continues to research and improve the published documentation in an effort to connect the descendants of the people depicted in the photographs, molds and busts at the Smithsonian with their ancestors. More information is listed below as well as a sample of his documenting work and the cover of a book published by him on busts at the Panama-California Exhibition of 1915-16.
To know more, contact Larry or David. They are interested in knowing more about the individuals from whom the many casts, busts and photographs were made in an effort to set the historical record straight. Some of the names and other information may be in error and in need of correction. Their contact information is listed below.You can also contact Mark Holman at Sitting Bull College Library who has a full listing of the people, busts, casts and photographs.
