Accession Number1997/1.159
TitlePóvi-Támuⁿ ("Flower Morning") - San Ildefonso
Artist(s)Edward S. CurtisArtist NationalityAmerican (North American)Object Creation Date1925Medium & Supportphotogravure on paperDimensions 22 in x 18 in (55.8 cm x 45.8 cm);23 3/8 in x 18 3/16 in (59.37 cm x 46.2 cm)
Credit LineGift of Stephen M. TaylorLabel copyCurtis wrote in the caption to his portrait Flower Morning that 'the regular features of the comely Morning Flower are not exceptional, for most Tewa girls, and indeed most Pueblo girls, are not without attractiveness.' Because of her 'attractiveness,' however, Curtis posed her again as the subject of The Fruit Gatherer and of Girl and Jar.
(Lyman, The Vanishing Race, p. 132)
Subject matterThis image of a young woman from the Tewa tribe in the San Ildefonso reservation 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 DescriptionThis is a portrait of a young woman against a plain, dark backdrop. She wears a draped cloth garment, strands of beadwork looped around her neck. Her hair is cut in a short style with blunt, thick bangs covering her forehead.
Primary Object ClassificationPhotographCollection AreaPhotographyRightsIf 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
Native American
Portraits
San Ildefonso
beadwork (visual works)
bust-length
hairstyles
jewelry
modern and contemporary art
necklace
seated
single-sitter portraits
women (female humans)