Portrait of Zitkala-Ša, 1898
Platinum print
Image dimensions16 × 12 cm
About the workA successful portrait is more than just a picture of a person. Zitkala-Ša, who had a Sioux-Dakota mother and a German father, made a name for herself as an author, musician and activist. At the turn of the century, photographs of Indigenous people in North America were a profitable product, fuelling stereotypes that still persist today. This photograph by Gertrude Käsebier does not depict the subject as the exotic “other”. Rather, Zitkala-Ša’s individual interests are highlighted in the image, as demonstrated by the book on her lap.
AccessionGift 2019
Provenance[...]; 2019 erworben durch Schenkung von Kicken Berlin in Erinnerung an Rudolf Kicken
Inventory numberF.2019.772
