Real Indians
Artist
Larry McNeil
(American, Tlingit/Nisga’a, born 1955)
Date1977 (printed 2007)
Mediumpigment print
DimensionsImage: 9 × 9 in. (22.9 × 22.9 cm)
Support: 10 × 10 1/2 in. (25.4 × 26.7 cm)
Mat: 20 × 16 in. (50.8 × 40.6 cm)
Support: 10 × 10 1/2 in. (25.4 × 26.7 cm)
Mat: 20 × 16 in. (50.8 × 40.6 cm)
ClassificationsPhotograph
Credit LineGift of Patrick Nagatani, 2016
Object number2016.4.1
DescriptionOne-story building on diagonal at back of composition with several doors and windows and prominent text and graphics at top, including man on rearing horse and “THIS IS IT! MOST INTERESTING SPOT” … “WHERE REAL INDIANS TRADE”…. At left, man with crossed arms, long dark hair with headband, and moustache leans against the side of an old car parked in gravel lot in front of building.eMuseum Notes
Made
when the artist was in his early twenties, this self-portrait marked a defining
moment in Larry McNeil’s creative practice. At a time when Native artists were asserting
their right to define and give voice to indigenous culture, the young
photographer juxtaposes himself, a real Indian, with the exaggerated
advertising at the Santo Domingo Trading Post. “Even as a young photographer I
recognized the humor and irony this photograph represented,” McNeil writes.
“After all, it is kind of funny.”
On View
Not on view
