Anchorage Museum of History and Art
Anchorage, AK
907.343.4326
Drawing Shadows to Stone: Photographing North Pacific Peoples, 1897-1902 and Objects of Northern Life
May 7 through September 19, 1999
"The Yakaghir people of northeastern Siberia, seeing a camera for the first time, called it 'the three-legged device that
draws a man's shadow to stone.' The three legs were
the tripod and the shadow drawn to stone was the image inscribed onto the
glass plate negative."
The Anchorage Museum of History and Art is proud to present Drawing Shadows to Stone: Photographing North Pacific Peoples, 1897-1902 and Objects of Northern Life during the 1999 summer season. Visitors are invited to see and learn about one of America' s most well known explorations of northern culture.
The
Jesup Expedition was organized in 1897 by the American Museum
of Natural History to investigate the origins of the American Indian. Photography
was an integral component of this
foremost American ethnographic expedition, and in
the space of five years, the Expedition produced 3,000 photographs of the
peoples of the Northwest Coast of North America and the northeastern coast
of Siberia. The exhibition presents rare views of the people of the North
Pacific region at the beginning of the 20th century and explores the role
of photography as a way of "collecting culture" and capturing
a way of life.
To complement
the 90 photographs in the show, the Anchorage Museum has developed a related
exhibition, Objects of Northern Life, This exhibition presents a
rich display of 136
artifacts
from the peoples portrayed in the photographs -- Northwest Coast masks and
basketry, potlatch gifts, elaborately decorated clothing from Siberia, and
Siberian reindeer herder's tools and gear.
These artifacts come from the University of Alaska Museum
in Fairbanks, the Alaska State Museum in Juneau, the Sheldon Jackson Museum in Sitka,
the Burke Museum of Natural History in Seattle, and the Anchorage Museum
collection.
In addition, visitors will experience a Siberian reindeer
herder's tent constructed by the Anchorage Museum. And, in a special resource area
at one end of the galleries, visitors will be able to view CD-ROM programs
on the Jesup Expedition, select from a series of brief video programs on
Siberian craftspeople, and peruse a variety of reading materials on the
peoples of the North Pacific.
Public
Tours: Forty-five minute public tours of the exhibition will be conducted
by volunteer docents at 12 noon seven days a week. There is no additional
fee for the tours.
Exhibition Catalog: A 112-page exhibition catalog, Drawing Shadows to Stone: The Photography of the Jesup North Pacific Expedition, 1897-1902, is available for purchase in the Museum Shop. The catalog includes essays and photographs from the show.
Drawing Shadows to Stone: Photographing North Pacific Peoples, 1897-1902 and Objects of Northern Life are sponsored by the Anchorage Museum Association..
Images from top to bottom: KWAKWAKZ'WAKW, Shaman's Doll, gift of family of Willard Bowman, AMHA 89.28.1, photo by Chris Arend; Harlan Smith, Jack Tsacoola, (42840), collection of American Museum of Natural History; Waldemar Bogoras, Even Family, 1895, (22410), collection of American Museum of Natural History; Waldemar Bogoras, Even Woman, (1310), collection of American Museum of Natural History; KWAKWAKZ'WAKW, Eagle Mask, Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture 1-1460, photo by Chris Arend; NANAI, Child's Tunic, Municipal Acquisition Fund, AMHA 95.1.2, photo by Chris Arend; KWAKWAKZ'WAKW, Headdress Frontlet, Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture 25.0/233, photo by Chris Arend; KORYAK, Child's Ceremonial Kulianka, gift of Anchorage Museum Assoc., AMHA 94.58.1, photo by Chris Arend; NANAI, Fishskin Raincoat, Municipal Acquisition Fund, AMHA, 95.58.1, photo by Chris Arend.
Read more in Resource Library about the Anchorage Museum of History and Art.
Search for more articles and essays on American art in Resource Library. See America's Distinguished Artists for biographical information on historic artists.
This page was originally published in 1999 in Resource Library Magazine. Please see Resource Library's Overview section for more information.
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