The Nevada Historical Society has one of the largest photograph collections in the state. One of the most important areas of that collection documents some aspects of the lives of Native Americans in Nevada. The Society's first director, Professor Jeanne Wier, had a particular interest in studying Native American life and culture, and began building the photograph collections in 1908.

The images presented in this exhibition, many for the first time, represent the work of a number of early photographers, both amateur and professional. Most of the photographers were Euro-Americans and tended to take pictures of Native Americans only in urban settings. They missed much as a result, and the Society's collection is by no means a complete record of Native American life in Nevada.

In this exhibition of a selection of original prints from our permanent collection, we are showing some of the best photographs we have. However, our collections have many important gaps,which hinder us in telling a more complete story. We invite Nevadans -- Native Americans and others -- who have their own photographs that could fill in these gaps to contact our staff. Any images donated will be kept in perpetuity in an archival setting. We can also copy and return original prints with a complimentary high-quality negative. Please help us to continue to build and preserve our collections so that future generations will have a better sense of the truth of the past.