Interior of Mr. Hooker's House, Sichimovi

Adam Clark Vroman, 1902

Download3008 × 4000 px View on a wall Edit

Artist: Adam Clark Vroman (American, 1856–1916)
Medium: Platinum print
Size: Image: 20.6 × 15.6 cm (8 1/8 × 6 1/8 in.)
Culture: American
Museum: J. Paul Getty Museum
Rights: CC0 — no rights reserved

The Mr. Hooker of the title was the elected head of the Hopi village of Sichimovi in Arizona, a frequent setting for Adam Clark Vroman's portraits and genre studies. This interior view shows a woman seated in the upstairs sleeping quarters, peering out at the visitor with a camera. Among the objects in the living area below are traditional Hopi kachina dolls as well as a Victorian umbrella. The photographs tacked to the wall appear to be of a village and may be Vroman's work, possibly indicating a relationship between Vroman and this household.

The early twentieth century found many amateur photographers documenting Native cultures in the Southwest. The romantic image of a place where few non-Indians had previously ventured was fostered in the popular imagination through widely circulated newspaper accounts, novels, and stories. Vroman was one of the few photographers of the region who established a friendly relationship with his subjects beyond that of a curious tourist.

Text: J. Paul Getty Trust, CC BY 4.0.