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Sisiutl--Qagyuhl – Historic Reproduction

Sisiutl--Qagyuhl, c1914 November 13. — historic photograph
Sisiutl--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 Sisiutl--Qagyuhl brings a moment of history to your wall. An authentic image from the Library of Congress, it carries the weight of the real historical record.

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Sisiutl--Qagyuhl

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Titled for Sisiutl, the double-headed serpent of Kwakwaka'wakw (Kwakiutl) belief, this picture shows a ceremonial dancer in costume and mask. Sisiutl appears in stories as a powerful supernatural being, and masks of this kind were central to winter ceremonial performances in British Columbia. Edward S. Curtis made the image around 1914 for his multivolume work *The North American Indian*, where it appears in volume 10. Curtis's staged ceremonial portraits were meant to record vanishing customs, so the mask and regalia are worth studying closely.

Created / publishedc1914 November 13.
Medium1 photographic print.
GenrePhotographic prints 1910-1920.
NotesJ197434 U.S. Copyright Office. Title from: The North American Indian. Curtis no. 3561. 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, v. 10, p. 214.
SubjectsIndians of North America--Spiritual life--British Columbia--1910-1920. Kwakiutl Indians--Spiritual life--1910-1920. Ceremonial dancers--British Columbia--1910-1920. Costumes--British Columbia--1910-1920. Masks--British Columbia--1910-1920. Supernatural beings--1910-1920.
SourceLibrary of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
Original scan1,536 × 1,171 px · prints to 5 × 4 in at 300 dpi
ReferenceAMZ-SOTP-HPA-128915

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