W.M. Cline Company photographs of Eastern Band of Cherokee

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Summary: This collection contains 10 photographs depicting the Eastern Band of Cherokee in North Carolina. The photographs were shot by W.M. Cline Company of Chattanooga, Tennessee circa 1937.

Biographical / Historical: Born in Guernsey County, Ohio on April 21, 1873, Walter Matson Cline, Sr. began practicing photography in high school. He went on to establish Bell and Cline studio in Cambridge, Ohio and later moved with his mother and sister to Chattanooga, Tennessee in 1904 where he worked for photographers Elworth L. Mudge and Amos W. Judd. Around 1910, Cline established his own photography business Cline Studios. He traveled the country producing scenic and travel photography for commercial sale. In January 1914, he married Lucy Haley and their son Walter Matson, Jr. was born later in the year and Sara Antoinette was born in 1916. The family opened the C. M. Cline Company in 1938, which specialized in postcard photography, however, Walter Matson Cline, Sr. died three years later in 1941. His family took over the business.

Citation: Identification of specific item; Date (if known); W.M. Cline Company photographs of Eastern Band of Cherokee, image #, NMAI.AC.362; National Museum of the American Indian Archives Center, Smithsonian Institution.

Arrangement: The photographs in this collection are arranged in folders by image number.

Processing Information: Processed by Emily Moazami, Supervisory Archivist, 2020.

Rights: Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from National Museum of the American Indian Archives Center. Please submit a written request to nmaiphotos@si.edu. For personal or classroom use, users are invited to download, print, photocopy, and distribute the images that are available online without prior written permission, provided that the files are not modified in any way, the Smithsonian Institution copyright notice (where applicable) is included, and the source of the image is identified as the National Museum of the American Indian. For more information please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use and NMAI Archive Center's Digital Image request website.

Scope and Contents: P29270-P29279 This collection contains 10 photographs depicting scenes on the Eastern Band of Cherokee Reservation in North Carolina. The photographs were shot by W.M. Cline Company of Chattanooga, TN circa 1937. The photographs were originally sold in a small souvenir self-mailer portfolio entitled, "Selected Snapshots, 10 views, Cherokee Indian Reservation, N.C." The photographs themselves feature descriptions printed at the bottom. Based on the copyright entry, it seems that the photographs were copyrighted on Oct. 14, 1937 and most likely published in the souvenir package in 1938. The photographs include images of Chief Nollyton and Chief Standing Deer; scenes of basket and pottery makers and bead workers; Green Corn Dancers; and landscapes.

Restrictions: Access to NMAI Archives Center collections is by appointment only, Monday - Friday, 9:30 am - 4:30 pm. Please contact the archives to make an appointment (phone: 301-238-1400, email: nmaiarchives@si.edu).

Related Materials: The University of Tennessee in Chattanooga and the Library of Congress in Washington, DC also hold photographs shot by Cline Studios and the W.M. Cline Company.

NMAI.AC.362

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NMAI.AC.362

NMAIA