Carlo Gentile (1835–1893), known professionally in his lifetime as Charles Gentile, was a 19th-century Italian-American photographer. After travelling the world, he settled in
Victoria,
British Columbia for a few years, photographing diverse subjects including the gold fields. In 1867, he moved to
California, and lived a restless existence with frequent moves between California and
Arizona. In 1871, he purchased a young boy named Wassaja, later named
Carlos Montezuma, for 30 silver dollars. In the midst of their travels, they participated in a
Wild West Show starring
Buffalo Bill
William Frederick Cody (February 26, 1846January 10, 1917), known as "Buffalo Bill", was an American soldier, Bison hunting, bison hunter, and showman. He was born in Le Claire, Iowa, Le Claire, Iowa Territory (now the U.S. state of Iowa), but ...
. Gentile continued the pursuit of his photographic career in
Chicago, while publishing a series of newspapers along with maintaining a weekly magazine.
Early life
Gentile was born in 1835 in
Naples,
Italy. Growing up in a cultured atmosphere, he received an art education from private tutors. After the death of his father around 1856, Gentile received an inheritance of 25,000 dollars. He voyaged to
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
, the
Caribbean
The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...
, and
South America, before residing for a short period in
San Francisco. In September 1862, "Gentile and lady" traveled north to Victoria, British Columbia, then part of the
Colony of Vancouver Island. By February 1863, he had opened a fancy goods store in Victoria.
British Columbia
A change in Gentile's career appeared in August 1863, when he advertised for "Photographic Fixings wanted". By October, he listed his services as a photographer." Gentile was the first British Columbia photographer to specialize in portraits of First Nations people. Besides taking local pictures of Victoria and its citizenry, he traveled to the interior of Vancouver Island to photograph the
Alberni Valley,
Nanaimo
Nanaimo ( ) is a city on the east coast of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. As of the Canada 2021 Census, 2021 census, it had a population of 99,863, and it is known as "The Harbour City." The city was previously known as the "H ...
,
Cowichan Bay, and the short-lived
Leech River gold rush. Within two years after his arrival, Gentile was a successful businessman associated with the political and social elite of the two colonial capitals, Victoria and
New Westminster. Despite this, in March 1865, he put his photographic gallery up for sale. It didn't sell immediately, and he stayed in business for approximately a year and a half longer. In the summer and fall of 1865 he travelled by wagon road and steamer to the gold fields of the
Cariboo
The Cariboo is an intermontane region of British Columbia, Canada, centered on a plateau stretching from Fraser Canyon to the Cariboo Mountains. The name is a reference to the caribou that were once abundant in the region.
The Cariboo was the ...
and the
Thompson River, providing an important visual record of the mining settlements. Gentile wintered back home in Victoria, and in March 1866 toured parts of
Washington Territory with Governor
William Pickering In Seattle, he took the earliest known views of that city. He made plans to tour Europe with his pictures, and he hired a fellow photographer,
Noah Shakespeare
Noah Shakespeare (January 26, 1839 – May 13, 1921) was a Canadians, Canadian politician from British Columbia noted for his involvement in the anti-Chinese movement.
Shakespeare was born in Staffordshire, Staffordshire, England, arriving ...
, to conduct business in his absence. However, a "square deal box" containing his images was lost during a shipment by sea, and his trip was cancelled.
California and Arizona
Arriving in San Francisco in early 1867, Gentile spent an indeterminate time in the city before establishing himself at
Gold Run. In California, he met the writer
John Ross Browne, who told him that
Native Americans could be found in their natural state in Arizona.
[ ] In late 1867 or early 1868, he traveled across Southern California, possibly visiting
Baja California, before setting up a temporary studio on the lower
Colorado River by the Arizona border. The exact date of his arrival in Arizona is unclear, but he was in
Tucson in early 1868, photographing the
Pima
Pima or PIMA may refer to:
People
* Pima people, the Akimel O'odham, Indigenous peoples in Arizona (U.S.) and Sonora (Mexico)
Places
* Pima, Arizona, a town in Graham County
* Pima County, Arizona
* Pima Canyon, in the Santa Catalina Mountains ...
and
Maricopa
Maricopa can refer to:
Places
* Maricopa, Arizona, United States, a city
** Maricopa Freeway, a piece of I-10 in Metropolitan Phoenix
** Maricopa station
Maricopa station is an Amtrak train station in Maricopa, Arizona, United States, servin ...
Indians, as well as Catholic mission churches and prehistoric Indian ruins. Later, in the fall, he traveled north to
Prescott, stopping to take photographs for a month. In January 1869, he sold his business in Arizona, to cross boundaries once again, this time spending several months in
Santa Barbara, California. He eventually returned to Arizona in 1870 or 1871. Gentile briefly had studios in Tucson and
Adamsville, now a ghost town. He befriended Arizona Governor
Anson P.K. Safford
Anson Pacely Killen SaffordVarious sources give multiple variations for the spelling of Safford's two middle names. Among these are Peasley, Peacely, Keeler, and Killen. (c. February 14, 1830– December 15, 1891) was the third Governor of Arizona ...
, and accompanied him along with a large prospecting party to the
Pinal Mountains
The Pinal Mountains (Yavapai: Walkame – "pine mountains", Western Apache: Dził Nnilchí' Diyiléé – "pine-burdened mountain") are a mountain range located in Gila County, Arizona. They have a maximum elevation of at Pinal Peak and a promine ...
, but the mining story that had spurred the expedition turned out to be false. At the Eighth Industrial Exhibition of the
Mechanics' Institute, held at San Francisco in September 1871, Gentile exhibited a selection of his Arizona photographs and Indian clothing.
At Adamsville, two miles west of his residence in
Florence, Gentile purchased from two Pima warriors a young
Yavapai boy named Wassaja, paying 30 silver dollars for him. The boy's camp had been raided a few days earlier while his father and mother were absent, and Wassaja's parents soon became confined to the
San Carlos Reservation. His sisters Cow-wow-se-puchia and Ho-lac-sa were also captured, and one of Gentile's first acts was to unwittingly take the boy to see them at a ranch on the
Gila River
The Gila River (; O'odham ima Keli Akimel or simply Akimel, Quechan: Haa Siʼil, Maricopa language: Xiil) is a tributary of the Colorado River flowing through New Mexico and Arizona in the United States. The river drains an arid watershed of n ...
. A photograph of the sad children bears witness to the encounter. On November 17, 1871, Wassaja was baptised as
Carlos Montezuma in the First Church of the Assumption in Florence. In the same month, Gentile and Montezuma left with a party of explorers travelling by wagon towards the
Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon (, yuf-x-yav, Wi:kaʼi:la, , Southern Paiute language: Paxa’uipi, ) is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in Arizona, United States. The Grand Canyon is long, up to wide and attains a depth of over a m ...
, and for a time the boy stayed with the
Hualapai. Montezuma was becoming habituated to his new life, and declined an offer of escape, not wishing to lose his three meals a day. On the return trip, Gentile and Montezuma traveled in a southeasterly direction from
Camp Verde
Camp Verde ( yuf-x-yav, ʼMatthi:wa; Western Apache: Gambúdih) is a town in Yavapai County, Arizona, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population of the town is 10,873.
The town hosts an annual corn festival in July, sponsored and orga ...
to
Fort Apache.
In the early 1870s Gentile assembled a prototype album of his Arizona photographs, a copy of which is found at the
Library of Congress. Portraits include members of the
Pima
Pima or PIMA may refer to:
People
* Pima people, the Akimel O'odham, Indigenous peoples in Arizona (U.S.) and Sonora (Mexico)
Places
* Pima, Arizona, a town in Graham County
* Pima County, Arizona
* Pima Canyon, in the Santa Catalina Mountains ...
,
Coyotero Apache,
Tonto Apache, and
Mohave peoples. Some places shown are
Maricopa Wells
Maricopa Wells is a former place ( locale) situated in Pinal County, Arizona. It has an estimated elevation of above sea level. Historically, it was an oasis around a series of watering holes in the Sierra Estrella, eight miles north of present- ...
,
Tumacacori,
Mission San Xavier del Bac,
Date Creek,
Camp Verde
Camp Verde ( yuf-x-yav, ʼMatthi:wa; Western Apache: Gambúdih) is a town in Yavapai County, Arizona, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population of the town is 10,873.
The town hosts an annual corn festival in July, sponsored and orga ...
, and
Casa Grande
, settlement_type = City
, image_skyline = Casa Grande-Casa Grande Union High School-1920-2.jpg
, imagesize = 250px
, image_caption = Historic Casa Grande Union High School which now serves as the ...
.
In March 1872, Gentile stayed briefly at Prescott. In that spring, Gentile and Montezuma traveled by wagon to
Zuni territory, and thence to the
Acoma and
Laguna
Laguna (Italian and Spanish for lagoon) may refer to:
People
* Abe Laguna (born 1992), American DJ known as Ookay
* Andrés Laguna (1499–1559), Spanish physician, pharmacologist, and botanist
* Ana Laguna (born 1955), Spanish-Swedish ballet d ...
Pueblos of the
Keres people. Afterwards, they passed through
Albuquerque and
Santa Fe, before catching a stagecoach to
Trinidad and
Pueblo, Colorado.
Lantern slides of this trip, now located at the
Smithsonian Institution, were used by Montezuma in talks during his adult years.
Travels and Buffalo Bill
In Pueblo, Gentile and Montezuma boarded the train for
Denver. An itinerant period of wandering followed that is poorly documented. According to Montezuma's recollections, they traveled by train to
Washington, D.C., then to
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
, and down to
Florida before heading northward as far as
Canada.
In Chicago, the pair joined the production of a show written by
Ned Buntline, ''The Scouts of the Prairie, and Red Deviltry As It Is!''. This
Wild West entertainment, starred
Buffalo Bill
William Frederick Cody (February 26, 1846January 10, 1917), known as "Buffalo Bill", was an American soldier, Bison hunting, bison hunter, and showman. He was born in Le Claire, Iowa, Le Claire, Iowa Territory (now the U.S. state of Iowa), but ...
, Buntline,
Giuseppina Morlacchi
Giuseppina Antonia "Josephine" Morlacchi Omohundro (October 8, 1836 – July 23, 1886) was an Italian American ballerina, dancer, and actress. She introduced the can-can to the American stage.
Biography
Morlacchi was born in Milan in 1836 an ...
, and
Texas Jack Omohundro
John Baker Omohundro (July 27, 1846 – June 28, 1880), also known as "Texas Jack", was an American frontier scout, actor, and cowboy. Born in rural Virginia, he served the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War. He late ...
. Despite being panned by critics, it was a great box office success. During their last performance in Chicago, Montezuma appeared on stage for the first time. He was later billed as "the young Apache captive, Azteka". Gentile had a promotional role, selling
carte-de-visite
The ''carte de visite'' (, visiting card), abbreviated CdV, was a type of small photograph which was patented in Paris by photographer André Adolphe Eugène Disdéri in 1854, although first used by Louis Dodero. Each photograph was the size of ...
s of the cast members. After Chicago, the show toured
St. Louis,
Cincinnati,
Louisville,
Indianapolis
Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...
,
Toledo
Toledo most commonly refers to:
* Toledo, Spain, a city in Spain
* Province of Toledo, Spain
* Toledo, Ohio, a city in the United States
Toledo may also refer to:
Places Belize
* Toledo District
* Toledo Settlement
Bolivia
* Toledo, Orur ...
,
Cleveland, and
Pittsburgh. After the show played in
Franklin
Franklin may refer to:
People
* Franklin (given name)
* Franklin (surname)
* Franklin (class), a member of a historical English social class
Places Australia
* Franklin, Tasmania, a township
* Division of Franklin, federal electoral d ...
, Pennsylvania, in March 1873, Gentile and Montezuma departed the tour.
It is unclear where they traveled next, with the exception of stops in Washington, D.C., New York City, and
Grand Rapids
Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the second most-populated city in the state after Detroit. Grand Rapids is the ...
. They settled in Chicago for a period until 1875, where Montezuma attended school while his adoptive father ran a new photographic studio. In 1875, as a treatment for a persistent cough, Montezuma was placed on a country farm in
Galesburg, Illinois, where he spent two years. Gentile meanwhile, had begun taking
stereoviews
Stereoscopy (also called stereoscopics, or stereo imaging) is a technique for creating or enhancing the illusion of depth in an image by means of stereopsis for binocular vision. The word ''stereoscopy'' derives . Any stereoscopic image i ...
of famous Chicago buildings and interiors. In September 1877, ''The Philadelphia Photographer'' published a composite photograph by Gentile based on the carbon process, depicting Lieutenant-General
Philip Sheridan and his staff. He exhibited his works in New York in early 1877, winning the highest award.
The reunited Gentile and Montezuma took up residence in
Brooklyn. Apparently Gentile had an art and photography store which was destroyed in a fire, In 1878, the pair traveled to Canada and then to
Boston, returning to Chicago late that year. Realizing that Montezuma needed a sound education and a stable upbringing, he was entrusted to the care of a
Baptist minister in
Urbana __NOTOC__
Urbana can refer to:
Places Italy
*Urbana, Italy
United States
*Urbana, Illinois
**Urbana (conference), a Christian conference formerly held in Urbana, Illinois
*Urbana, Indiana
* Urbana, Iowa
*Urbana, Kansas
* Urbana, Maryland
*Urbana, ...
, Illinois. Montezuma went on to have a distinguished career and personal life, becoming the second Native American to graduate with a medical degree, as well as being a tireless promoter of
Indigenous rights.
Chicago
Starting in the late 1870s, Gentile served as the photographic editor of ''The Eye'', a weekly semi-literary magazine published in
Bloomington, Indiana. In November 1879 he was in the west for a period, selling rights to Willis' patent platinum process. He operated a succession of photographic studios in Chicago under his own name until 1883, and then with partner Zachary Taylor until 1885. He joined with other Chicago photographers in 1880 for the founding of the
Photographers' Association of America, serving as vice-president. Around this time he was also listed as an instructor of practical photography at the Chicago College of Photography. In 1884, Gentile purchased ''The Eye'' magazine, and moved it to Chicago, renaming it to ''The Photographic Eye, and the Eye'', and became its editor. Continually experimenting with new photographic methods, Gentile was becoming known nationally. He completed a report on the status of photography in 1884 for the prestigious Photographers' Association of America. In 1885, Gentile discontinued his Chicago studios for about a year, and traveled to demonstrate the carbon process. On his return to Chicago, he renamed his magazine ''The Eye'', hoping to appeal to a more general readership.
A new venture for Gentile occurred in 1886, when he and 16 year-old Oscar Durante founded ''L'Italia'', an Italian-American newspaper. Four months after its inception, Durante bought Gentile's share in the company. In 1877, Gentile had a strong hand in organizing the Great Convention of American and Canadian Photography held in Chicago. The following year, he started a new Italian-American newspaper, ''Il Messaggiere Italo-Americano'', this time in partnership with Dr. Giuseppe Ronga. This was a sophisticated undertaking in the manner of a European journal, but it folded after two years. Gentile began a third paper, ''La Colonia'', orientated to the local Italian community of Chicago, and it lasted from 1889 to 1892. In 1891, the ''St. Louis and Canadian Photographer'' reported on the death of Gentile's third wife. Compounding his loss were mounting financial difficulties and professional disappointments among his peers.
Gentile pressed for a separate building of photography at the upcoming 1893
World's Fair, but photography was only allowed its own space. During this time, he had neglected ''The Eye'', and it fell under criticism. Tragedy once again struck his household, with the loss of a daughter to
scarlet fever
Scarlet fever, also known as Scarlatina, is an infectious disease caused by ''Streptococcus pyogenes'' a Group A streptococcus (GAS). The infection is a type of Group A streptococcal infection (Group A strep). It most commonly affects childr ...
in May 1893. Gentile was now in financial straits, and suffering emotional and physical distress from the effects of
Bright's disease, a kidney condition. Montezuma came to visit in the summer of 1893 and recommended that he seek treatment. Gentile traveled to
Mineral Springs, Indiana, but it was too late. He died on 27 October 1893, leaving behind a wife and a young son. He was buried in the lot of the Chicago Press Club at Mount Hope Cemetery in Chicago. Montezuma was unable to attend the funeral due to professional commitments, but he sent financial aid to the widow. In addition, he became custodian of Gentile's son, also named Carlos.
Gallery
File:William Wentworth Fitzwilliam (1839-1877).png, William Wentworth Fitzwilliam. Circa 1864.
File:Lyhee, a Ucluelet man.jpg, Tyhee, a Ucluelet man. 1863 to 1866.
File:Charles Gentile Volunteer Military Company Victoria BC 1863-1866.jpg, Volunteer Company in Victoria. 1863 to 1866.
File:Charles Gentile-Lillooet Indians.jpg, St'at'imc (Lillooet) First Nations people. 1865.
File:Barnard's Express and Stage Office, Barkerville.jpg, Barnard's Express and Stage Office, Barkerville. 1865.
File:Gentile, Bosco, & Co. Los Angeles 1867 Recto.jpg, Portrait of unidentified man. San Francisco, 1867.
File:Group of Californians.jpg, Group of Californians. Circa late 1860s.
File:Tumacacori historical.jpg, Mission San José de Tumacácori. Circa 1870.
File:Louis the interpreter & matador de los Apaches.jpg, Louis the interpreter & Matador de los Apaches. Circa 1870.
File:Pasquial, Pimo (i.e., Pima) captain - fond of agriculture.jpg, Pasquial, a Pima fond of agriculture. Circa 1870.
File:Maricopa Wells, Arizona.jpg, Maricopa Wells, Arizona. Early 1870s.
File:Chicago Exposition Views, The A.F. Bellows Group.jpg, The Albert Fitch Bellows
Albert Fitch Bellows (November 20, 1829November 24, 1883), was an American landscape painter of the Hudson River School.
Early years
Bellows was born at Milford, Massachusetts. He first studied architecture and, in 1849, became the partner of Bo ...
Group, Chicago. 1893.
Citations
Footnotes
References
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*
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*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Gentile, Carlo
1835 births
1893 deaths
19th-century Neapolitan people
People from Chicago
Italian photographers
Canadian photographers
19th-century American photographers
Photographers from Arizona