Snapshots of the Past

Masked dancers--Qagyuhl – Historic Print

Masked dancers--Qagyuhl, c1914 November 13. — historic photograph
Masked dancers--Qagyuhl, c1914 November 13.. Historic photograph from the Historic Print Archive collection.

(Originally scanned by the Library of Congress. Each image is professionally and digitally cleaned of artifacts such as color bars and extra borders prior to printing.)

Description

This historic photograph of Masked dancers--Qagyuhl brings a moment of history to your wall. Sourced directly from the Library of Congress, it represents an authentic piece of documented history.

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Masked dancers--Qagyuhl

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Masked dancers performing the Qagyuhl ceremony are the focus here, a Kwakwaka'wakw (Kwakiutl) winter dance tied to the potlatch season on the British Columbia coast. Edward S. Curtis photographed the scene around 1914 for his multivolume study The North American Indian, and this plate appeared in the supplemental volume. The record notes totem poles in the subject headings, a reminder that such ceremonies unfolded in village houses and carved public spaces, where masks, costumes and song carried family histories and privileges. Curtis's staged and posed images of these events are now studied both for their artistry and for what they reveal about a period when potlatch practices were restricted by law.

Created / publishedc1914 November 13.
Medium1 photographic print.
GenrePhotographic prints 1910-1920.
NotesJ197470 U.S. Copyright Office. Title from item. Curtis no. 3599. Forms part of: Edward S. Curtis Collection (Library of Congress). Published in: The North American Indian / Edward S. Curtis. [Seattle, Wash.] : Edward S. Curtis, 1907-30, Suppl. v. 10, pl. 358.
SubjectsIndians of North America--Spiritual life--British Columbia--1910-1920. Kwakiutl Indians--Spiritual life--1910-1920. Ceremonial dancers--British Columbia--1910-1920. Costumes--1910-1920. Dance--British Columbia--1910-1920. Masks--British Columbia--1910-1920. Rites & ceremonies--British Columbia--1910-1920. Totem poles--British Columbia--1910-1920.
SourceLibrary of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
Original scan1,536 × 1,175 px · prints to 5 × 4 in at 300 dpi
ReferenceAMZ-SOTP-HPA-125830

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