[WESTERN AMERICANA]. BELDEN, Charles J. (1888-1963), photographer. A group of 5 photographs of western subjects, incl. cowboys, cattle, and a coyote. Pitchfork Ranch, WY, ca 1910s-1940s.

5 silver gelatin photographs ranging in size from 12 x 10 in. to 16 x 20 in. Two photographs with ink stamp on verso, "Photograph Copyright by Charles J. Belden Z/T Ranch, Pitchfork, Wyoming." The remaining photographs are unmarked but taken by Belden.

The following scenes are included: 12 x 15 in. photograph of a cowboy pausing to inspect a small herd of cattle in a secluded meadow, with Belden's stamp on verso. -- 11 3/4 x 15 3/4 in. cyanotype of three horses resting outside a snow-covered cabin, with Belden's stamp on verso. -- 12 x 10 in. photograph of a lone coyote howling, unmarked. -- 16 x 20 in. photograph of a cowboy watering his horse while tending sheep near a small stream, unmarked. -- 16 x 20 in. cyanotype of a small gathering of cattle grazing on a snowy hillside, unmarked.

Charles J. Belden (1888-1963) was born in San Francisco into a wealthy California family. He developed a life-long passion for photography when he purchased his first camera to record his travels throughout Germany and Russia after graduating from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1909. Upon his return to the U.S., Belden worked as a cowboy on the L.G. Phelps Ranch in Wyoming. He then went to work on and eventually managed the legendary Pitchfork Ranch near Meeteetse, Wyoming. During his time at the Pitchfork Ranch between the 1920s and 1930s, Belden produced a variety of images that captured life on the dude ranch, including livestock activities, as well as the surrounding western landscape. Many of his western photographs were taken on horseback aboard his reliable pony Pinky. He thought this gave him the desired perspective he was hoping to achieve. Belden's photographs were featured in various publications, including National Geographic and the Saturday Evening Post. Refer to the University of Wyoming, American Heritage Center's Digital Collection of Charles J. Belden Photography for comparable examples of his work.

Charles Belden gave this group of photographs, lots 604 - 607, to the consignor’s grandfather, who worked on the Pitchfork Ranch in Wyoming during the 1930s. The photographs have been in the family since that time.

This lot is located in Cincinnati.