First Photographs | Early Photographs of North American Indigenous Peoples

Exhibition: July 26 - September 15, 2012

Reception: Thursday, August 2, 5-9pm

This exhibition of over 50 vintage prints, from a wide variety of makers, concentrates on photographs of North American Indigenous Peoples. Early ethnographic photography is a hybrid of fact and fiction; however an appreciation for their unique qualities as historical artifacts enables the viewer to move beyond pure exoticism.

The majority of the exhibition is arranged geographically and a number of photographs are made by unknown photographers (comprised of professional photographers, ethnographers and amateurs). It will also feature many types of early photographic processes and techniques, which serves to underscore the evolving nature of what the medium was able to capture and present.

Known photographers in the exhibition include:

GEORGE BARKER; D.F. BARRY; W.P. BLISS; L.T. BURWASH; CASE & DRAPER; DRANE; E.W. HALL; HAMILTON & HOYT; RICHARD HARRINGTON; WILLIAM E. IRWIN; H.G. KAISER; W.H. MARTIN; HANNAH H. MAYNARD; LEE WILLIAM MOHR; WILLIAM M. NOTMAN; S.W. ORMSBY; WILLIAM M. PENNINGTON; HARRY POLLARD; and ISAIAH WEST TABER.

Co-Curated by Rare Photo Gallery and Stephen Bulger Gallery