Woman's Bldg. from E. / Melander, photographer, Chicago.

Louis Magnus Melander was born in Sweden and immigrated to the United States in the 1860s. He settled in San Francisco, where he worked as a photographer and had his own studio. In the 1870s he travelled extensively throughout the West, photographing Native American tribes including the Apache, Navajo and Hopi. Melander's photographs are notable for their sensitivity and respect for his subjects. He often photographed individuals and groups in traditional dress, portraying them with dignity and grace. His landscapes also captured the beauty and grandeur of the American West. Melander's work was exhibited at the California State Fair in 1871 and at the Mechanics' Institute Fair in San Francisco in 1873. He also published a book of his photographs entitled 'Scenes in the Rocky Mountains and in Oregon, California, New Mexico, Texas, and the Indian Territory' in 1877. Melander died in San Francisco in 1900. His photographs are now in the collections of the California Historical Society, the Smithsonian Institution and other institutions.