This conclusion, drawn from viewing Curtis's Wishham photographs, can be validated from other sources. Edward Sapir did his initial field work on the Wishham in 1905, shortly prior to Curtis's photographs, and published an ethnography with Leslie Spier on the group in 1930. According to Sapir and Spier (1930: 27) the Wishham did decorate their hair with trade beads, dentalium shells, and Chinese coins, although I found no specific mention of bridal headdresses. The Encyclopedia of American Indian Costume describes numerous tribes' traditional clothing. This resource acknowledges the changes in clothing over time, showing the authors' attention to the changing nature of traditional dress, and tracing changes through contact with other Native American groups and Europeans. This resource cites Sapir and Spier's work as being one of its primary sources, and under “Wishram” and the subtopic of “Headgear,” the Encyclopedia notes that

Beautiful wedding caps were made of multicolored beads and dentalium shells . . . from a velvet crown the beads and shells were festooned in long strands down the back and at the sides. Worn with the cap was a wedding veil, also of beads and dentalium shells, as well as bells, coins and other trinkets (Paterek, 1994, p. 233).

In addition to this description, which matches Curtis's photographs, the Encyclopedia illustrates Wishram dress with Curtis's photograph Wisham Bride, 1910 (Image 7). This, combined with the unlikely event that Curtis would use Chinese coins in a prop, because they would not appear “Indian,” suggests that the headdresses were, indeed, part of the Wishham culture in the early twentieth century.

Additional investigation of Curtis's photographs supports the conclusion that the headdresses are part of indigenous Wishham culture. The shirts worn by some of the Wishham women are of similar design or style to the headdresses. These could be a prop of Curtis's; however, although the detailed designs on the shirts are different, the style of the overall shirt is the same, suggesting that the shirts were individually made items that were part of Wishham culture.

I selected four photographs in which three women of the Wishham tribe wear this style of shirt: Wishham Bride, 1910 (Image 7), Wishham Girl, 1910 (Image 8), Wishham Maid, 1909 (Image 11), and Wishham Girl-Profile, 1910 (Image 12). Image 8 and Image 12 are two views of the same woman. In order to determine whether these garments were the same in each photograph, the beadwork pattern from the shoulder, down over the top of the arm, was compared; this part of the shirt has the most intricate visible patterns of the garment, thus lending itself best to comparison. Although there are other features of the garment that could be discussed, the purpose of this analysis is solely to show whether the shirts these three women wore are the same or different. Thus a comparison of only one detailed part of each shirt is needed to come to a definite conclusion. The pattern is more visible in Image 12. Therefore, I will consider Image 12 rather than Image 8 in this discussion.

In the first photograph, Wishham Bride, 1910 (Image 7), very little can be seen of the top arm piece of the garment, but from what can be seen, it is clear that it is sewn with patterns of beads that are outlined all the way around with light beads, and the center composed of dark beads. In Wishham Maid, 1909 (Image 11), the beaded top of the sleeve consists of light and dark colored beads, with a single color per row, in a rough triangular shape, over a dark background. In the third photograph, Wishham Girl-Profile, 1910 (Image 12), the patterns of these beads are horizontal and linear. The pattern alternates between approximately fifteen rows of light colored beads, to a space that might be either leather or dark beads, to two rows of light beads, to the dark space, and then repeats with fifteen rows of light colored beads. A large piece of triangular cloth borders this line of beads on either side.

To summarize, in Image 7, the beads are not in solid color rows, but form outlines and filled-in parts of what appear to be geometric shapes. In Image 11, the beads are in patterned solid color rows, but in geometric triangular shapes. In Image 12, all the beads are organized in alternating patterned solid color rows. From this examination of the beaded shirts it appears that these garments are not the same. I did not find these garments on any of Curtis's non-Wishham subjects, and it is highly unlikely that Curtis would have used three different intricately patterned over-shirts as props in a single two-year span, because other evidence suggests he reused props. It, therefore, seems likely that these women were wearing their own clothing, and these garments were part of the Wishham cultural tradition of the time.