#1 Postcard: Student Plays Taps<\/strong><\/h2>\nFront Side:<\/strong><\/h3>\n![\"Sepia](\"https:\/\/carlisleindian.dickinson.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/image_item_level\/public\/image-photo\/CIS-P-0108.jpg?itok=szUwuU4c\")
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Caption: \u201cStudent Plays Taps\u201d (Carlisle Indian School, c. 1908)<\/p>\n
Description: The postcard features a photograph, showing a Native American student in uniform playing the bugle.<\/span> The reverse side includes designated spaces for a message and address, indicating its use for personal use.<\/span> The formal composition and the subject matter suggest an intention to showcase the success of the school’s assimilation policies.<\/span>\u200b<\/p>\n1. Describe the physical object in as much detail as possible (including dimensions, medium, appearance).<\/b><\/p>\n\n- The front of the object is a black and white photograph printed on a medium-sized postcard. The image shows a student playing a bugle and the boy lying on his drum. It was likely taken during or after a ceremony. The postcard is labeled <\/span>Taps, Indian School, Carlisle, PA.<\/span><\/i>\u00a0There is no color, and the image is a real postcard. The edges are slightly worn, consistent with the age of the postcard.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
2. What is most interesting to you about this object and why did your group choose it?<\/b><\/p>\n\n- What stood out most to us was the contrast between the formal image and the personal use of the postcard. It captures a moment that seems ceremonial or official\u2014playing \u201cTaps\u201d\u2014yet it was also a tool for communication. We chose this object because it connects visual documentation with individual voices and gives a glimpse into how life at the Carlisle Indian School was represented and remembered.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
3. Who is the creator? How do you know?<\/b><\/h4>\n\n- While the specific photographer or publisher isn’t named, the image comes from the records of the Carlisle Indian School. We found it in the archives hosted by Dickinson College’s Carlisle Indian School Digital Resource Center, which preserves materials from the school. The creator was likely affiliated with the school or its documentation efforts around that time.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
4. Who is the intended audience(s)? On what evidence do you base your answer?<\/b><\/h4>\n\n- The postcard appears to have had multiple audiences. One was likely the general public, as postcards served to circulate images and promote a certain image of the school to outsiders. Another audience may have been the families of Native American students or alumni, who would have used it to stay connected. The message section, stamp, and address lines suggest it was meant to be sent and read personally, while the posed photo and official label show a more public-facing intent.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Quotes:<\/strong><\/p>\n“One hour before breakfast, we would go out and drill. I would stand over there and blow ‘Reveille’ in the morning to wake them up and blow ‘Taps’ at night for the lights to go out. Strictly military! Oh god, we might as well be at West Point!”<\/span><\/p>\n\u2014 Troutman, p. 120\u200b<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the bands served as the principal disciplinary engine.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\u2014 Troutman, p. 120\u200b\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
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Reverse Side:<\/strong><\/h3>\n![](\"https:\/\/carlisleindian.dickinson.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/image-photo\/CIS-P-0108_reverse.jpg?width=750&height=485\")
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Text on back: “To Donald from Catherine, we had an indian boy take us all through the Indian school”<\/strong><\/em><\/h2>\nDescription: The back of the postcard features a short message from Catharine to Donald saying “To Donald from Catharine, We had an indian boy take us all around the Indian school. In the top right corner there is an area marked for a stamp, yet there is not stamp.<\/p>\n
1. <\/b>Who is the intended audience(s)? On what evidence do you base your answer?How might this item have been used? How do you know?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- The postcard is intended for Donald and was supposed to be sent from someone named Catharine which can be seen by reading the text on the back of the postcard \u201c<\/span>To Donald from Catharine. We had an indian boy take us all through the Indian school.<\/span>” According to the Dickinson College Archive the postcard was never sent from the school. The postcard text on the back is not in perfect grammar with indian boy spell with normal “i” instead of a capitalized I as well as she states that she was touring the school could indicate that the sender is most-likely a child far away from home and might have tried to use the postcard as a way to communicate to her family possible her mother. I also find it particularly interesting that she writes \u201cus\u201d meaning she was not touring the school alone but alongside others which might be because she is on some kind of tour to find an Indian school, all around the country.<\/span><\/li>\n
- Additionally, we worked on the idea of it to be force written because the text is simple and short, it is not set up for opening a convocation with Donald but instead more of a statement, This could either be because the school forced them to write some sort of postcard to someone or that she was upset with Donald. In support of this theory the postcard is written in english and if Catharine was forced to write this postcard by the school they would have forced her to write in english rather than his native tribal language. Furthermore Catharine might have been upset with Donald because there is no sentence asking him how he is or no induction of emotion in the postcard, maybe Donald could be the girls father and he send her on a journey to find a Indian School for Catharine and she might be upset that she got sent away from home. All though these ideas are interesting . we don’t have any evidence to support these theories because there is simply nothing on either person in the archives.<\/span><\/li>\n
- We tried doing a search on both names but it is impossible with no last name to identify these people. All the kids enrolled named Catharine that there was any record of was all before the time of the postcard with the latest student named Catharine graduation year 1893, eight years before the postcard was written.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
2. How might this item have been used? How do you know?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- We believe that this postcard has been supposed to be used as some kind of communication from Catharine to Donald because of the text written on the back. But it is impossible to tell the reason for the postcard. It is extremely short written and feels like it is emotionless.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
3. How might this object been distributed?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n- The postcard was never distributed; there was no stamp on it for it to be sent. It was most-likely put away in some drawer or archive at the Carlisle Indian School.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
4.\u00a0Why might this item have been saved?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n- Dickinson College Archive emphasises on the postcard being believed to have been produced at the school after the establishment of a photo studio, so it could have been kept safe because of the history aspect of the school with this postcard photo possibly being one of the first and therefore kept for safekeeping.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
4. Questions:<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n- While the postcard gives little information about the time being, it still leaves me with many questions such as why was it never sent, who is Donald and Catherine, where are they from, why was the text so short and simple, what was the objective of the postcard.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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<\/h1>\n#2 Commencement Program:<\/strong><\/h1>\n(order of images reflects order of Commencement Concert book pages)<\/strong><\/h3>\nFront Page:<\/strong><\/h3>\n <\/p>\n
\n- Description: Small, rectangular booklet with a red cover page, listed songs with the accompanying musician or soloist, and lists of membership, which includes a list of everyone in the band. Program of the Commencement Concert, played by the United States Carlisle Indian School Band, directed by George F Tyrrell, Tuesday evening May 18 1915. Most pieces seem to be America themed, although they do play a selection from Guiseppe Verdi\u2019s opera \u201cIl Trovatore.\u201d There were also 2 solo pieces, for cornet and chimes.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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The front emblem<\/strong> below \u201cCOMMENCEMENT CONCERT\u201d:<\/span><\/p>\n\n- On the front red page of the program, \u201cCOMMENCEMENT CONCERT United States Carlisle Indian School Band George F. Tyrell, Music Director\u201d is shown with black text, varying in size. The emblem of scrolls, two lyres on each and an organ player and an organ between the scrolls is displayed. The instruments shown in this symbol reveal the importance of instrumentation and the continued control over the students in all aspects (Troutman 2009, 127). The male organist is front and center, forcing your eyes to be drawn towards his artistry. This figure may resemble the likes of prominent musicians like Mozart, which showcases what music the school promotes students in learning\u2013classical. In Troutman\u2019s introduction, student learning of expressive culture through Americanized musical forms included \u201csemiclassical music\u201d (Troutman 2009, 10). The scrolls may focus on the educational and schooling approaches more, revealing how students both partake in bands and school.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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Musical Director George F Tyrrell<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- According to his obituary found in the May 28, 1917 edition of the <\/span>Reading Daily Eagle<\/span><\/i> Newspaper, George Tyrrell was born in England, and served as a musician for 11 years in the British Army. He then traveled to America, where he lived and directed for 22 years. He lived in Reading Pennsylvania, about 75 miles east of Carlisle, where he worked as a band director. He also worked in Carlisle, directing the Indian School Band from 1914 until his sudden death on the 26th of May, 1917. (Reading Daily Eagle<\/em> 1917)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Why We Chose This Artifact<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- We chose this artifact because of our interests inspired from class conversations about the way the school manipulated sound to further mobilize Americanized, white ideals, effectively silencing the Indigenous voices and their origin stories. It is captivating to analyze the type and genre of music students actually played and question the reasoning behind those choices made by authority figures pushing their assimilation agendas.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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<\/h3>\nOther Emblems:<\/strong><\/h3>\n <\/p>\n
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USIS<\/strong> emblem:<\/span><\/p>\nThis red symbol is marked with the letters USIS, read from left to right, row by row. This acronym perhaps translates to US Indian School. Central to the emblem is the silhouetted bird with arrows breaking apart each letter. That same bird appears in larger form on the next page with the \u201cApprentices\u201d mentioned.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
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\u201cPrinted by Apprentices<\/strong> of the School Carlisle Indian Press Carlisle PA\u201d:<\/span><\/p>\n\n- The creators of this Commencement program are the printing apprentices of the school. Various professions were learned during schooling through the Carlisle\u2019s Outing Program. It is interesting that a physical marking of the creators was left to signify student work and the long lasting effects of students involved in the workforce post-graduation. What does it mean that student printers could contribute to the creation of sound and commemoration of their fellow students graduating? Though, the general identifying of the creators as \u201cApprentices\u201d with little specification to names fails to individualize the students and distinguish their work.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- Additionally, the symbol of the headdress at the heart of the bird form continues to perpetuate harmful Indigenous representations. Sonja Dobroski, an anthropologist, explains \u201cwhy feathered headdresses became a standard means of representing American Indian people; it was a process of \u2018othering\u2019 via material culture\u201d (Dobroski 2023, 104).<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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Song Selection<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/ciisarchivesp25\/files\/2025\/04\/thumbnail_Screenshot-2025-04-22-153636-300x160.png\")
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Analysis:<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n- This program features lots of musical examples that can show modern day audiences how the school thought of music as propaganda. As James Garvie says while talking about playing the bugle calls in Troutman\u2019s <\/span>Indian Blues<\/span><\/i>, \u201cStrictly military! Oh god, we might as well be at West Point!\u201d (Troutman 2009, 120). The school specifically chose pieces that could show the transformation of the students to any audience members, from the \u201csavages\u201d they may have been when they first arrived to Carlisle, to changed children, capable of playing Sousa or Verdi. The pieces being played are either European \u201chigh art music\u201d, from operas and operettas, or militaristic marches. Interestingly though, not all the marches are American. One example, \u201cWith Sword and Lance\u201d, is German. Also, some of the pieces cannot be found on IMSLP or YouTube, so I wonder if they may have been local composers writing pieces specifically for the school or even for that specific commencement.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Song Examples<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- In Storm and Sunshine\u201d by John Clifford Heed<\/span>\n
\n- https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/7\/7c\/%22In_Storm_and_Sunshine%22%2C_performed_by_the_United_States_Navy_Band.wav<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n
- https:\/\/s9.imslp.org\/files\/imglnks\/usimg\/1\/1c\/IMSLP579460-PMLP932220-InStormAndSunshine_Fillmore_Bros.pdf<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
- Poet and Peasant (Dichter und Bauer) overture by Franz von Supp\u00e9<\/span>\n
\n- https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=aaMg5hLfnx8<\/a><\/li>\n
- https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=_Szck1DD8yI<\/a><\/li>\n
- https:\/\/vmirror.imslp.org\/files\/imglnks\/usimg\/b\/b4\/IMSLP19171-PMLP36358-Suppe_Poet_Ovt.pdf<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
- With Sword and Lance by Hermann Starke\n
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Caption: \u201cStudent Plays Taps\u201d (Carlisle Indian School, c. 1908)<\/p>\n
Description: The postcard features a photograph, showing a Native American student in uniform playing the bugle.<\/span> The reverse side includes designated spaces for a message and address, indicating its use for personal use.<\/span> The formal composition and the subject matter suggest an intention to showcase the success of the school’s assimilation policies.<\/span>\u200b<\/p>\n 1. Describe the physical object in as much detail as possible (including dimensions, medium, appearance).<\/b><\/p>\n 2. What is most interesting to you about this object and why did your group choose it?<\/b><\/p>\n Quotes:<\/strong><\/p>\n “One hour before breakfast, we would go out and drill. I would stand over there and blow ‘Reveille’ in the morning to wake them up and blow ‘Taps’ at night for the lights to go out. Strictly military! Oh god, we might as well be at West Point!”<\/span><\/p>\n \u2014 Troutman, p. 120\u200b<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAnd the bands served as the principal disciplinary engine.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u2014 Troutman, p. 120\u200b\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________<\/p>\n Description: The back of the postcard features a short message from Catharine to Donald saying “To Donald from Catharine, We had an indian boy take us all around the Indian school. In the top right corner there is an area marked for a stamp, yet there is not stamp.<\/p>\n 1. <\/b>Who is the intended audience(s)? On what evidence do you base your answer?How might this item have been used? How do you know?<\/strong><\/p>\n 2. How might this item have been used? How do you know?<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The front emblem<\/strong> below \u201cCOMMENCEMENT CONCERT\u201d:<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Musical Director George F Tyrrell<\/strong><\/p>\n Why We Chose This Artifact<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n USIS<\/strong> emblem:<\/span><\/p>\n This red symbol is marked with the letters USIS, read from left to right, row by row. This acronym perhaps translates to US Indian School. Central to the emblem is the silhouetted bird with arrows breaking apart each letter. That same bird appears in larger form on the next page with the \u201cApprentices\u201d mentioned.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cPrinted by Apprentices<\/strong> of the School Carlisle Indian Press Carlisle PA\u201d:<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Song Selection<\/strong><\/p>\n Song Examples<\/strong><\/p>\n\n
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3. Who is the creator? How do you know?<\/b><\/h4>\n
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4. Who is the intended audience(s)? On what evidence do you base your answer?<\/b><\/h4>\n
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Reverse Side:<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/p>\nText on back: “To Donald from Catherine, we had an indian boy take us all through the Indian school”<\/strong><\/em><\/h2>\n
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3. How might this object been distributed?<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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4.\u00a0Why might this item have been saved?<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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4. Questions:<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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#2 Commencement Program:<\/strong><\/h1>\n
(order of images reflects order of Commencement Concert book pages)<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Front Page:<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Other Emblems:<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\n<\/p>\nAnalysis:<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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Naomi Greensky\u2019s Collection<\/strong><\/span>\n