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When Benedicte Wrensted left Pocatello in 1912, she leased her studio to Mrs. W. E. (Mary H. Cole) Garvey. Mrs. Garvey would probably have retained all the Wrensted negatives and maintained her clientele. Therefore, except for differences in style and size of negatives, we cannot prove which photographer took which photographs.

Jack Hoyt and wife

Jack Hoyt (b. 1858) and his wife Mary Grouse Hoyt (b. 1868). Photograph by Mary Garvey.

Jack Hoyt has a feather headdress, shell earrings, ermine necklace, multi-strand necklace probably of glass beads, beaded gauntlet gloves, and blanket strip leggings. Buckskin gloves were made on the Fort Hall Reservation and were not only worn by many of the Sho-Ban men, but were also sold to Pocatellans at Mrs. A. L. Cook's store.

Mary Hoyt is wearing a bead choker and a drop sleeve velvet dress with cowrie shells. She is holding an eagle feather fan; the strap over her shoulder is probably decorated with quills and hair.

Credit: * Idaho Museum of Natural History, Ruffner Collection: 253219.

Benedicte Wrensted's technique of managing natural light produced photographs with a painterly quality. Those by Mrs. Garvey were consistently illuminated by a single spotlight to the left of the subject. Garvey's work is further characterized by 5" x 7" and 8" x 10" glass plate negatives, while all of Wrensted's are approximately 4 1/4" x 6 1/2". Garvey's portraits are mainly close-up and profile views, in contrast to Wrensted's full figure and frontal poses.
Thought to be Fanny Tioni and daughter Fannie

Thought to be Fanny Tioni (b. 1879) and daughter Fannie (b. 1910). Photograph by Mary Garvey.

The mother has shell earrings, a bugle bead choker, and a beaded belt buckle. Scottish plaid blankets was common reservation items, as were silk scarves like that in the mother's right hand. The little girl's flowers, dress dropped off her shoulders, and chiffon scarf were probably arranged by the photographer.

Credit: * Idaho Museum of Natural History, Ruffner Collection: 253208.

 

Mrs. Garvey learned photography from a professional Chicago school. She won a number of prizes at exhibitions in Illinois before moving to Pocatello. Mrs. Garvey stayed in the Wrensted Building for only two years before opening her own residence-studio two blocks away. She would no doubt have continued photography if she had not suffered an untimely death in 1918.

Melina Edmo
Melina Edmo (b. 1865) Tom Edmo's wife. Photograph by Mary Garvey. She is wearing a cloth dress decorated with mirrors and buttons, a metal bracelet, and a metal-studded leather belt. The cornhusk bag is probably of Nez Perce origin. Melina and Lizzie Edmo were half-sisters who married brothers. They had the same mother, Cayuse Mary, but different Euro-American fathers.


Credit: * Idaho Museum of Natural History, Ruffner Collection: 253175.

Naatsi Boise

Naatsi Boise (b. 1874), taken by Mary Garvey. He is wearing a reservation hat, earring pendants, bead necklace, and gauntlet gloves.

The flower on his shoulder is probably a photographer's special effect. Naatsi is remembered today as a great practical joker.


Credit: * Idaho Museum of Natural History, Ruffner Collection: 253245.

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