D.F. Barry (1854-1934) Sergeant John Martin Photo

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Photography of the West: D.F. Barry, Huffman,...

By North American Auction Company

Jan 18, 2025

Set Reminder 2025-01-18 11:00:00 2025-01-18 11:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Photography of the West: D.F. Barry, Huffman, & Antique Beadwork - January 2025 https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/north-american-auction/photography-of-the-west-d-f-barry-huffman-antique-beadwork---january-2025-17578
Join us for our Photography of the West: D.F. Barry, Huffman & Antique Beadwork—January 18th, 2025 Auction here in Bozeman, Montana. Including 100's of images from the ex-C.M. Russell Museum collection of D.F. Barry Photographs as well as a large Western Antique and Beadwork collection. North American Auction Company tucker@naabid.com

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• Lot Description
  Featured in this lot is this original, blind stamped photo of Sergeant John Martin, also know as Giovanni Martini taken by David F. Barry (1854-1934) circa early 1880s from the ex-collection of the C.M. Russell Museum and John Kleinschmidt. David Francis Barry (1854-1934) was one of the most noted photographers of the American Indian and U.S. Army participants in the Sioux War of 1876 and is attributed with some of the most recognizable surviving images from this period in the history of the American West. Barry first came to the west in the 1870’s to apprentice under photographer O.S. Goff, who worked as the photographer at Fort Abraham Lincoln. It was from this post the Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer led his Seventh U.S. Cavalry division in May 1876 to the battle of the Little Bighorn in southwestern Montana. This is considered one of the largest collection of Barry photographs from one historic Montana family offered for public sale. Giovanni Martino, also known as John Martin (1852–24 December 1922) was an Italian-American soldier and trumpeter. He served in Italy with Giuseppe Garibaldi and in the United States Army, most notably in the 7th Cavalry Regiment under George Armstrong Custer, where he became known as the lone survivor of Custer's company at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. In 1873, Martino boarded a ship heading for the United States, and upon arrival at Castle Clinton, he was registered as Giovanni Martino, a 21-year-old laborer from Sala. His real name, before it was anglicized, was confirmed as Giovanni Martino during his registration, decisively refuting the prevalent notion in later years that he was Giovanni Martini. One year later, facing limited employment opportunities, Martino enlisted in the United States Army under the Anglicized name "John Martin" and was assigned to Jefferson Barracks in Missouri to begin training as a cavalry trooper and bugler before being permanently assigned to the U.S. Seventh Cavalry Regiment, led by Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer. Martino joined the 7th Cavalry's Company H in 1876, but on June 25, he was temporarily assigned as one of Custer's bugler-orderlies. As Custer and roughly 210 troopers and scouts made their last approach to the huge Indian hamlet in the Little Bighorn River valley, Martino was dispatched with an urgent request for reinforcements and ammunition. Newspaper accounts of the time referred to him as a "Custer massacre survivor" and "the last white man to see Custer alive". Martin and the remaining Seventh Cavalry companies not riding with Custer were stranded on a neighboring hill, where they fought off repeated attacks for 36 hours before being rescued by another U.S. Army column. This photo shows Martin standing with his hands folded over each other as he looks towards the viewers right hand side. The photo is blind stamped on the bottom right hand corner and is matted once with light blue matted paper that is also blind stamped in the bottom right hand corner. This photo includes a photo-copied (from original) correspondence letter to Mr. Kleinschmidt from D.F. Barry talking about how he has his five dollars and is talking about other photos and sending two others. One of the photos talked about and sent, was the one in this lot of Sergeant John Martin. Two museum tags are present from the C.M. Russell Museum in Great Falls, Montana with the first reading, "SGT. John Martin Giovanni Martini - 1923" while the second reads, "1396-87 O'Dell". It is set in a wood frame and sits behind glass to preserve its condition. The photo and frame show good condition overall with slight wear present from their age and handing over the years but no major signs of damage are noted. The visible photo measures 6 3/8" L x 4 3/8" W, while the entire piece measures 10 1/4" L x 8" W x 7/8" D. It weighs 12 ounces. Provenance: From the John Kleinschmidt collection which was on loan to the C.M. Russell Museum from 1987 to 1993 and included in the "The Cowboy West: 100 Years of Photography 1992-1993 exhibit.
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