Use this sorting game to explore how a photographer’s interests and bias affect their portraits.

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Conduct an Internet search for “early Native American photographs” and Edward Curtis’s picturesque portraits invariably rise to the top. This algorithm-driven gallery suggests that Curtis’s view of Native Americans is a de facto perspective shared by many. But, is it a fair and accurate portrayal of Native Americans at the beginning of the twentieth century? Is a photographic portrait an objective depiction, or is it an expression of the photographer’s worldview? This sorting game explores the works of five artists who photographed Native Americans between 1900 and 1910. The five photographers are Edward Curtis, Richard Throssel, Gertrude Käsebier, Benjamin Haldane and Jennie Ross Cobb. Comparing their works reveals how a photographer’s worldview is expressed in their portraits.

A special Notice and Note feature will help you identify each photographer’s interests and characteristic approach to photographing Native American portraits. This will be that much more engrossing if you explored George Catlin’s Indian Gallery Look and Learn Gallery Walk.

This can also support class discussions for the cross-curricular lesson plan George Catlin’s Indian Gallery.