Martha A. Sandweiss's The Girl in the Middle: A Recovered History of the American West delves into a single 1868 photograph taken at Fort Laramie. In this image, six federal peace commissioners are posed with a young Native American girl, whose identity was long forgotten. While the men are named, the girl remained anonymous until Sandweiss's meticulous research identified her as Sophie Mousseau.
Sandweiss uses this photograph as a lens to explore the intertwined lives of its subjects and the broader context of westward expansion during the Reconstruction era. She examines the roles of figures like Alexander Gardner, the photographer known for his Civil War images; William S. Harney, a Union general with a violent reputation among the Lakota; and Samuel F. Tappan, an abolitionist involved in investigating the Sand Creek massacre.
The narrative brings to light Sophie's life, marked by personal hardships and the systemic challenges faced by Native Americans as settlers encroached upon their lands and the federal government enforced reservation policies. Through this focused historical inquiry, Sandweiss not only recovers a lost individual story but also offers a profound reflection on how history is recorded and remembered.
From The Girl in the Middle: A Recovered History of the American West by Martha A. Sandweiss. Copyright © 2025. Available from Princeton University Press.
Martha A. Sandweiss's The Girl in the Middle: A Recovered History of the American West posits that by uncovering the identity and life story of Sophie Mousseau—the unnamed Native girl in an 1868 photograph—we can challenge and enrich the conventional narratives of the American West. Sandweiss argues that this single image, often overlooked, encapsulates the complexities of westward expansion, highlighting the intertwined lives of individuals from disparate backgrounds during a transformative period in American history. By bringing Sophie's story to the forefront, the book emphasizes the importance of recognizing marginalized voices to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the past.
This book deals directly with what I’ve been working on for years. This book highlights the blatant instances of othering and TMT. The abuse and marginalization of the Native Americans was, and still is, unreal.
Read the article here.