Accession Number
1997/1.161

Title
Hămaska in Tlŭ'wŭláḣŭ Costume with Speaker's Staff - Qágyuhl

Artist(s)
Edward S. Curtis

Artist Nationality
American (North American)

Object Creation Date
1914

Medium & Support
photogravure on paper

Dimensions
22 1/16 in x 17 5/8 in (56.1 cm x 44.8 cm);24 1/8 in x 20 1/8 in (61.28 cm x 51.12 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of Stephen M. Taylor

Subject matter
This image of man from the Qágyuhl tribe 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
This is a portrait of an aging man in an outdoor landscape. He holds a large, carved wooden staff, which portrays an eagle at the top, and other faces and forms throughout the design. He wears an embroidered cloth draped over his body, a hat, and jewelry.

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
Kwakiutl (culture or style)
Native American
Portraits
costume (mode of fashion)
costumes
linguist staffs
men (male humans)
modern and contemporary art
single-sitter portraits
staff
standing
trees