Barker the Black Hills Hermit at his cave, ca.1900

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Description

Photograph of Barker (Baker?), the Black Hills Hermit standing in the opening to his cave -- a man who left the world behind after the death of the woman he loved to live in a cave. The cave opening is in a rocky outcropping on a scrub-brush covered hill. An animal pelt hangs from the barrel of a rifle leaning against the cave wall behind him. A metal[?] barrel sits to the left of the cave opening. The bearded hermit is wearing rough clothing and leaning on a rifle.; "'Barker,' the Black Hills hermit. -- This extraordinary individual, a man of 'great vigor,' despite his many years, is a character one seldom sees in this busy world. He has lived in this cave, completely isolated from all human companionship, for many years. The only evidence of civilization in that rude habitation was an old faded picture of a young girl with a singularly beautiful face. Feeling instinctively that she was in some way connected with his former life, to my repeated questions, he finally disclosed to me the following narrative: 'You are right. I loved that girl; I love her yet. A few days before we were to be united she died. The world lost its charm for me; the old pleasant scenes I once thought so charming became intolerable. So vividly did everything remind me of her that I resolved to go away and live entirely alone. But who can tell,' he added with a mournful smile, 'when the inscrutable mists that veil the future are lifted, that I may once more see her again.' He would speak no more, and so I left him, pondering over by-gone memories that all these long years had not served to obliterate."

Asset Metadata

Title Barker the Black Hills Hermit at his cave, ca.1900

Subject Barker (subject), caves (adlf), Hermits (lcsh), Mines and mineral resources (lcsh), Mining -- Miners -- "Barker the Black Hills hermit" (file heading)

Tags OAI-PMH Harvest

Place South Dakota (states), USA (countries)

Temporal Subject 1900

Type images

Format 2 photographs : glass photonegative, photoprint, b&w ; 21 x 26 cm. (aacr2), glass plate negatives (format), photographic prints (aat), photographs (aat)

Source California Historical Society (contributing entity), California Historical Society Collection, 1860-1960 (collection), Title Insurance and Trust, and C.C. Pierce Photography Collection, 1860-1960 (subcollection)

Date Created 1900

Creator Pierce, C.C. (Charles C.), 1861-1946 (photographer)

Publisher University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Repository Email specol@lib.usc.edu

Repository Name USC Libraries Special Collections

Repository Location Doheny Memorial Library, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0189

Rights Public Domain. Please credit both “University of Southern California. Libraries” and “California Historical Society” as the source. Digitally reproduced by the USC Digital Library.

Copyright Public Domain. Please credit both “University of Southern California. Libraries” and “California Historical Society” as the source. Digitally reproduced by the USC Digital Library.

Access Conditions Send requests to address or e-mail given

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/chs-m15334

Identifier 2145 (accession number), CHS-2145 (call number), CHS-2145 (filename), chs-m265 (legacy collection record id), chs-c65-14163 (legacy record id), chs-m15334 (legacy record id), USC-1-1-1-14114 (legacy record id), 1-111- (microfiche number), 1-70-48 (microfiche number)

IIIF ID [Document.IIIFV3ID]

DM Record ID 14163

Unique identifier UC143552

Legacy Identifier CHS-2145.tiff

Type Image

Internet Media Type image/tiff

Resolution 19.9 in × 15.7 in at 300dpi
50.6 cm × 40.1 cm at 300dpi

Inherited Values

Title Title Insurance and Trust and C.C. Pierce Photography Collection 1860-1960

Description The nearly 15,000 unique photographs of this collection contain the work of C.C. Pierce which cover the Los Angeles region city, street and architectural views, California Missions, Southwestern Native Americans, and turn-of-century Nevada, Arizona, and California. Pierce, active from 1886 to 1940, was one of the leading photographers of his day and amassed a collection of 15,000 images, including his own and those bought and copied from his contemporaries, George Wharton James and Charles Puck. The James collection contains over 2,000 images of portraits, customs, ceremonies, arts, and games of various groups of Southwestern Native Americans.

Date Created 1860/1960

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