"[Lot of 16 - Kachinas]", Bureau of American Ethnology

These colorful collotype plates are from this fascinating report by the American anthropologist Jesse Walter Fewkes on completion of his expedition to the Hopi Mesas. Believing that a series of pictures made by Hopi artists would be a valuable means of studying the symbolism of the tribe, he arranged for the best artists to make a series of drawings of all the kachinas that appear in Hopi festivals. The author found three skilled Hopi artists to paint the collection. They were Kutcahonauu (White-bear), Homovi, and Winuta. Unfortunately, the individual artist responsible for each drawing was not identified in his report. Each plate has a number of the various kachinas. Includes the great plate featuring the snake dancers.

References:

Condition: A

Lightly toned.