There is another reason Ishi’s photographs remain powerful.

Their meaning changes depending on the caption.

A portrait once captioned “the last wild Indian” invites one interpretation.

The same portrait captioned “a Yahi survivor whose community had been devastated by settler militias” invites another.

The pixels do not change.

History does.

This is one of the most important lessons for any modern publisher using archival Native photographs.

Images are not self-explanatory.

A historical photograph can appear authoritative while carrying a false or incomplete caption.

Museums, newspapers, collectors, and photographers often imposed generic labels on Native subjects.