[Teepee in Native American Camp]
1880s–90s
Medium
Albumen silver print from glass negative
Classification
Photographs
Department
Photographs
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Robert Ingersoll Aitken, 1951
Accession Number
51.611.483
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the late 19th-century American West through this evocative *Teepee in Native American*, an albumen silver print from a glass negative in the 1880s–90s. Captured by an unknown photographer the image poignantly depicts a classic teepee amid a Native American encampment, with its conical frame of poles draped in hide or canvas, evoking the nomadic traditions of Plains tribes. Such camps were central to communal life, blending portability with cultural symbolism—teepees oriented to face east for sunrise ceremonies. This photograph exemplifies the albumen process, the dominant technique ...
About the Artist
Unknown
The artist designated as "Unknown" in our virtual museum's collection exemplifies a poignant chapter in art history: creators whose identities have faded into obscurity despite the enduring power of their work. With only one known artwork attributed to them in our holdings, this figure represents countless anonymous hands that shaped visual culture across centuries. Museums worldwide, including th...