Images of Native Americans:
The Wanamaker Collection
One of Indiana University's most important artistic, cultural, and
historical treasures is currently on exhibit in Images of Native
Americans: The Wanamaker Collection at the Mathers Museum of World
Cultures. This renowned collection features over 8,000 images taken
between 1908 and 1923, and is recognized as the largest and one of the
most important collections of photographs of Native Americans by a single
photographic enterprise in the United States.
The exhibit chronicles the history of the collection, the range and
variation of images, and the uses and study of the collection, which had
its start in 1908 when photographer Joseph K. Dixon set out on his first
trip to the American West to record images of Native Americans. Dixon,
funded by John and Rodman Wanamaker, of the Wanamaker Department Stores,
spent the next 15 years in a series of "expeditions" taking photographs
and amassing documentation (papers, notes, correspondence) that would
result in over 40,000 materials associated with his work.
Like many people of that era, Joseph Dixon saw Native Americans as a
"vanishing race," and his dream was to record them on film before they
disappeared. Dixon's vision resulted in the world-renown Wanamaker
Collection. But during his many photographic trips and related activities,
Dixon came to realize that although their lifestyles and circumstances
were changing--as is true for all cultures--Native Americans were not
"vanishing."
He also experienced the diversity of Native American cultures, and was
moved by the reservation conditions under which many lived. The experience
changed him: he went from being a recorder of Native Americans' ways to
being an advocate for the future of these people he had chosen as his
subjects. In 1913 he spearheaded a move to establish a National American
Indian Memorial and urged reconciliation between native groups and the
Federal government; in 1915 he lobbied for American citizenship for the
original inhabitants of the nation; and after World War I he publicized
the sacrifice of Native American soldiers on the battlefields of Europe.
Many have traveled a similar path of coming to know and respect Native
Americans and their cultures, but what makes Dixon's contribution
important is that he recorded his journey of discovery with his camera.
The 8,000 images in the Wanamaker Collection depict Dixon's changing
perceptions of Native Americans and his appreciation of the diversity of
Indian cultures and the dignity of individual people.
In addition to the exhibit at the Mathers Museum, a small sampling of
the images has been traveling throughout the
state. Over the past year Images of Native Americans: The Wanamaker
Collection at Indiana University has traveled to 20 locations,
including Sullivan, Hartford City, Birdseye,
Batesville, Petersburg, Lynn, Linton, Salem, Attica, Marshall, Osgood,
Shelbyville, Avilla, and Marion. The venues were chosen to ensure that
residents of Indiana's smaller communities would have an opportunity to
view the materials, which has been featured in libraries, schools,
and
community centers, and will free and open to the public. The traveling
exhibit is sponsored by the Moveable Feast of the Arts Program at Indiana
University Bloomington funded by the Lilly Endowment Inc.
The images chosen for the traveling exhibit demonstrate some of the
strengths of the collection, as well as reflecting four of Dixon's
favorite photographic subjects: portraits of individual Native Americans;
scenes of daily life; subjects of historic interest; and children.
Additionally, educational materials for use by K-12 grades have been
developed in conjunction with the exhibit, and have been made
available
through the host venues for their community's schools.
For those unable to visit the Mathers Museum or see the collection as
it
travels, a new online database of 1,000 images from the Wanamaker
Collection is now available at
www.mathers.indiana.edu/wanamaker/.
The database was developed during by Informatics students at Indiana University Bloomington.
The traveling exhibit will be visiting another 20 venues throughout
the state during 2008-2009. The exhibit at the
Mathers Museum will be on
display through Thursday, July 2, 2009.
The Mathers Museum of World Cultures is located at 416 North Indiana
Avenue, Bloomington. Its exhibit hall and Museum Store are open Tuesdays
through Fridays, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; and Saturdays and Sundays, from
1 to 4:30 p.m. Admission to the Museum is free.
Metered and IU Permit parking is available at the McCalla School parking
lot on the corner of Ninth Street and Indiana Avenue. Parking is available
on surrounding streets during the weekend.
An access ramp is located at the corner of Ninth Street and Fess
Avenue, at the entrance to the Glenn Black Laboratory of Archaeology
adjoining the Mathers Museum. Reserved parking spaces are available on
Ninth Street, between Fess Avenue and Indiana Avenue. If you have a
disability and need assistance, special arrangements can be made to
accommodate most needs. Please call 812-855-1696 for assistance.
For more information, or to schedule a guided group tour, please call
812-855-6873 or e-mail mathers@indiana.edu.
