The Remarkable Carlo Gentile
Italian Photographer of the American Frontier

by Cesare Marino, Ph.D

A young Italian, Carlo Gentile, was enthralled with the American West. Beginning in 1863 he traveled through the wilds of British Columbia where he photographed Pacific Coast Indians and gold mines, and mingled in elite society. After a stint as a studio photographer in California, Gentile migrated to the Southwest.

On a trek through the Arizona Territory's Superstition Mountains, he chanced upon slave sellers after a massacre and bought a 4-year-old Indian boy for thirty silver dollars. Gentile adopted the boy as his son, and the boy grew up to be Carlos Montezuma, physician and Indian rights activist.

Gentile's strange path led to Chicago where he teamed up with Buffalo Bill and his Wild West Show, and to New York where he produced formal portraits of the rich and famous. His life unfolds in a "tumult of joy and sorrow," from brilliant success and glamour to personal despair and a tragic end. This handsome volume is a tribute to Gentile's enterprising spirit and talent, and his unique contribution to photography and the American experience in the West. Illustrated with rare prints, maps, and portfolio.

“Cesare Marino's extensive research has not only uncovered a wealth of material, but he has placed the evidence before us in a fascinating story.”
~ Dr. Jeremy Rowe, Author of Photographers in Arizona 1850 - 1920

120 Pages; 8-½" x 11", Illustrated Index, Bibliography, Appendices, Notes, List of Collections
Paper ISBN 1-887694-13-7

Price: $20.00

Cloth ISBN 1-887694-14-5

Price: $20.00

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