The terrain visible in the last shot looks to me a lot like the country near Prewitt, New Mexico. There is a Navajo community there. However, the Laguna and Acoma Pueblos are near-by to the East and the Zuni Reservation is a short distance to the West of Prewitt. The subjects look pretty relaxed, which may indicate that the photographer was a member of the community.
I would like to know who the photographer was, and perhaps find some more of his/her work. I'm thinking that one possibility would be to visit the area and show around the pictures. Margaret and I have often visited the Chaco outlier ruins in this area, so we will probably get a chance to drive over there some time soon.
5 comments:
Do you think these prints are "Art" or just family portraits? It's a little hard to tell. It always makes me a little sad to come upon portraits for sale that were probably meant to be family keepsakes.
That is a question worth exploring. For me these are Art and portraiture at its best. They portray individuals in the context of their community as well as revealing individual character. I don't know how representative the four images are of what may have been a larger exhibit, but I would not be surprised if all the pictures in such a display were focused on elderly members of the community. Native American cultures in the Southwest place a high value on contributions to the community by the elderly segment of the population, and recognition and tributes to the aged are regular features of daily life in such communities.
Also, if you click on the "found photos" tag at the bottom of this post you will find some more thoughts about family photos that end up in thrift store bins.
I love a mystery!
A friend wondered if these pictures could have been made by Lee Marmon who documented the Pueblo people over a period of many years. However, another looked at them closely with an 8x loupe and said she was pretty sure the prints were from 35mm negatives, which rules out Marmon.
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