Looking Back’s theme for 2025 featured Thurston County area photographers, artists, and their subjects. Photographer Edward Sammis began his career in California but operated a studio in Olympia between 1860 and 1865. His most famous photograph was of Si’ahl, better known by settlers as Chief Seattle. This is the only known photograph of Si’ahl, taken in about 1864.
Edward Sammis photo, about 1864, courtesy Museum of History and Industry
Text © Deborah Ross and The Olympian 2025