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L.A. HUFFMAN IMAGE – “JERKLINE TWELVE” – ORIGINAL
PRINTING FROM THE COFFRIN STUDIO IN MILES CITY, MONTANA
– GREAT WESTERN THEMED IMAGE: A classic
photograph by L.A. Huffman who was known for capturing
western life in action as it unfolded, this image is
captioned with a hand written legend, “383 ‘JERKLINE
TWELVE’ on the old freight road, neg printing copyright
by L.A. Huffman Milestown 1883”. This image
captures literally a twelve-horse team pulling a
connected train of three covered freight wagons, and
what appears to be a water wagon or an open wagon or
cart easing down a steep grade.
Laton Alton “L.A.” Huffman (1854 – 1931) was born in
Iowa and learned photography from his father. In
December of 1879, Miles City’s Yellowstone Journal
reported Huffman’s arrival at Fort Keogh, which had been
built following Custer’s defeat in 1876. Huffman became
the post photographer, an unpaid position that provided
little more than a log building with a dirt floor for
use as studio and residence. While prior post
photographers John H. Fouch and S.J. Morrow had not
prospered, Huffman was the first to succeed and remain
in Montana.
He established a studio in Miles City during the summer
of 1880 on what would become the 100 block of South
Fifth Street, and soon earned a reputation as a
respected regional photographer for his Indian
portraits, and hunting and ranching scenes. Most
notably he captured the only known photographs of
buffalo hunters at work on the Northern Plains -
skinning hides and removing tongues – for after 1883 the
large herds had been killed off.
Huffman’s largest number of images documented cowboy
life, often capturing stunning action shots with
cowboys, horses, and cattle in motion. Huffman differed
dramatically from the typical studio-based photographer
of his day, as he had the instincts of the modern
photojournalist. His knowledge of cattle, horses, and
the terrain enabled Huffman to anticipate the action as
it unfolded, and position himself to capture optimum
images – many of them taken from horseback, no less.
Theodore Roosevelt visited Huffman’s studio in 1884, and
would later display six large Huffman prints in the
White House. Frederic Remington used Huffman photos,
likely supplied by Roosevelt, as direct models for some
illustrations published with Roosevelt’s accounts of his
time ranching in Dakota Territory.
L.A. Huffman was elected in 1885 as Custer County
Commissioner and in 1893 as Representative to the
Montana House. He died in 1931 and was interred at the
family plot in Custer County Cemetery. In 1976, he
became the first and only career photographer inducted
into the Hall of Great Westerners at the National Cowboy
& Western Heritage Museum.
Huffman’s children and their descendants, the Kosters,
preserved the collection of negatives after his death.
During 1951–55, historian Mark Brown and W.R. Felton,
Huffman’s son-in-law, engaged Jack Coffrin at his Miles
City studio to produce prints from Huffman’s negatives,
some of which were published in The Frontier Years
and Before Barbed Wire, books that provided
unique details of Montana history. The L.A. Huffman
archive of negatives was eventually loaned and then
donated to the Montana Historical Society in the early
1980s.
Measuring 10” wide and 8” high, this is a full sized
print. The image is overall clear with no edge damage,
no fading and it is a very clear printing. The reverse
of the image is ink stamped “L.A. Huffman; Coffrin
Studio, Agent; 1600 Main Miles City, Mont.”, the
original Miles City gallery address. There is also a
numeral “#145” written in pencil. All of this same
information is also stamped on the original Coffrin
Studio backing cardstock, and there is a hand written
notation “Page 175 Frontier Years” - apparently
referring to the book referenced above.
This is a great early Montana Territory image with a
scarce content from a famous western photographer.
(0605) $125
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