Accession Number
1987/1.207

Title
Cayuse Woman

Artist(s)
Edward S. Curtis

Artist Nationality
American (North American)

Object Creation Date
1910

Medium & Support
photogravure on paper

Dimensions
12 in x 9 3/16 in (30.48 cm x 23.34 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Douglas M. Kenyon

Subject matter
This image of a Cayuse woman is from The North American Indian (1907-1930), a twenty-volume series created by Edward Curtis in order to document the lives of Native Americans in diverse regions of the Western United States. This limited edition volume was financially supported by J.P. Morgan, and promoted by Theodore Roosevelt. The resulting works have been criticized and celebrated for their portrayal of Native American life. Curtis often included anachronous props and clothing and presented rituals that had not been performed in years in order to support an idealized and romantic reading of a “vanishing race.”

Physical Description
A portrait of a woman with long braids, large earrings, and beaded jewelry. She wears a shirt with geometric lines embroidered into the fabric, and an ornate belt.

Primary Object Classification
Photograph

Collection Area
Photography

Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.

Keywords
Cayuse
Figures
Native American
Portraits
beadwork (visual works)
braids (hairstyle)
clothing
females
half-length
jewelry
modern and contemporary art
single-sitter portraits
woman
women (female humans)