Treść książki
Przejdź do opcji czytnikaPrzejdź do nawigacjiPrzejdź do informacjiPrzejdź do stopki
14
JaremaDrozdowicz
(forced)modernization.Obediencetothispositivisticpostulatewascompulsory
andmodernvisualtechnologycouldhelptoovercomeallobstacles.mebirthof
visualethnographyiscloselylinkedwiththeemergenceofnewmedia.Itiscon-
ditionedbythemeanswearegivenbytheveryhistoricalmomentwelivein.me
socio-culturalcontextofvariousapproachestowardsthevisualisasmuchim-
portantasthepicturesproducedbyvisualethnographersthemselves.Buildingof
asignificantandcontextualizedrelationbetweenthepictureandtheviewermight
beakeyfactorinreconstructingthecriticaltrajectoriesofemergenceofvisual
anthropologyandthebasicmodernvisualparadigminthestudyofculture.
mephotographicjourneysofEdwardSherifiCurtisintheAmericanWild
Westbytheendof19thcenturydeliveragoodexamplehowtheconstructionof
theimageofNativeAmericanswasperceivednotjustbyethnographers,butalso
byCurtis’sfellowAmericans,enteringmodernityequippedwithasetoftechno-
logicalandscientificlens,whichcouldprovideasharperimageandmorefocused
reflectionofreality.Curtis’sphotographsdepictAmericanIndiansinwhatwas
seenastheirnaturalhabitat-thegreatplainsoftheMidWest,pueblosofthe
SouthWestorthestonycoastalbeachesofAlaskascatteredwithtotemicpoles.
InakindofmythologicalnarrativeCurtisistellingthestoryoftheSiouxorthe
Navajoinphrasesconsistingjustfromimages-muchemotional,appealingand
trulyromanticintheirestheticalandideologicallevelofinterpretation.misdoes
notchangethefactthathisviewersexpectedtheseimagestobereal.meywere
madeintheheartoftheAmericannationinitsmaking,showingtheslowlyago-
nizingnativetribesandculturesmakingroomforanewWesterncivilization.So
didthoughtCurtis’sclients,likeJ.P
.Morgan,whofinancedmostofhisexpedi-
tions.Althoughnotaprofessionalanthropologist,theAmericanphotographerin-
fluencedstronglythroughhisworksexpertsonNativeAmericanculturelikehis
co-workerandfriendGeorgeByrdGrinnell.meirfruitfulcooperationhadmade
itpossibletopopularizeaspecificimage(orsimplyamyth)oftheIndiansamong
whiteAmericans.Ontheotherhandithadalsomadethefoundationforwide
spreadinterestintheindigenouscultures.
Curtis’sworkpublishedintheyears1907-1930asthetwentyvolumestitled
nmeNorthAmericanIndian”becamewithoutshadowofadoubtaalmostinstant-
lyasuccess.mroughplacingtheimagesinacarefullydescribedstoriestellingthe
lifestyleoftheIndians,Curtismanagedtofilltheimagestillswithlifeandsimul-
taneouslygaininterestfromhisreadersacrossthecontinent,aswellfromabroad.
meimageoftheOther,embracedbymany,wasslowlysettlingintheWestern
worldviewasagivenideaofOtherness.meexoticismappliedtowardsthatim-
agerywassurelyanecessaryelementfordistinguishingbetweenusandthem.me
picturehadwonmoreofitscontrast.StronglytechnologicalWesternworldhad
lookedattheOtherwithafeelingofalostinnocence,nobilityandpurenessthat
