Adam Clark Vroman
1898 (ca)
[Baskets]

Platinum print
11.4 × 10.7 cm (4 1/2 × 4 3/16 in.) (image)
 
J. Paul Getty Museum
Object Number: 84.XM.472.17
 
Against a draped background with a soft yet spiky shadow, Adam Clark Vroman artfully arranged three patterned baskets and an unidentifiable woven item on a table. His interest in documenting the Pueblo Indians clearly extended beyond making straightforward portraits to include the artifacts they created. In addition to photographing such objects, he displayed the baskets he had collected from various Pueblo tribes in his Pasadena apartment, along his with numerous Navaho weavings.
 
Vroman regarded his Native American subjects with a congenial and respectful attitude, writing in a 1901 periodical, "The Indian is a sympathetic fellow, appreciates kindness, and never forgets a friend." Differing from many of his contemporaries, he further declared that "I have no liking for the man who...says that all good Indians are dead Indians."
 
Secondary Inscription: Inscribed verso print in pencil by an unknown hand: "A.C.Vroman"; inscribed verso print in pencil by Wagstaff Collection cataloger: ".22".
 
LL/130928