Object Details
Artist
Norval Hamilton Busey, 28 Dec 1845 - 20 May 1945
Sitter
Sarah Winnemucca, c. 1844 - 16 Oct 1891
Exhibition Label
Born near Humboldt Lake, Mexico (now Nevada)
Sarah Winnemucca (whose birth name was Thoc-me-tony) was a nationally recognized advocate for Native American rights. Adept in five languages, she used her verbal skills to mediate diplomatic exchanges between her Northern Paiute community and U.S. government officials. In the early 1880s, she visited the White House and the U.S. Capitol to protest the Paiutes’ forced relocation to Yakama Reservation in Washington state. She also delivered hundreds of speeches detailing the mistreatment of Indigenous communities and wrote Life among the Piutes (1883), the first autobiography published by a Native American woman.
Studio photographs such as this helped Winnemucca publicize her cause. It was made in Baltimore, where she delivered approximately sixty-six lectures in 1884. A final trip east in 1887 failed to attract funding for the school Winnemucca had established for Paiute children. Discouraged, she confessed to a supporter, “It is useless for me to try to stand against the World.”
Nacida cerca del lago Humboldt, México (hoy Nevada)
Sarah Winnemucca (cuyo nombre original era Thoc-me-tony) se dio a conocer nacionalmente como defensora de los derechos de los nativos americanos. Versada en cinco idiomas, utilizó sus destrezas verbales para mediar en gestiones diplomáticas entre su comunidad de Paiutes del Norte y el gobierno de EE.UU. A principios de la década de 1880 visitó la Casa Blanca y el Capitolio para protestar por el traslado forzoso de los paiutes a la Reservación Yakama en el estado de Washington. También pronunció numerosos discursos sobre el maltrato de las comunidades indígenas y escribió La vida entre los piutes (1883), primera autobiografía publicada por una mujer nativa americana.
Fotos de estudio como esta ayudaron a Winnemucca a promocionar su causa. La foto se tomó en Baltimore, donde ella ofreció unas 66 conferencias en 1884. En su último viaje al este, en 1887, no logró obtener fondos para su escuela de niños paiutes. Desanimada, confesó a un seguidor: “Es inútil tratar de luchar contra el mundo”.
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Date
1883
Object number
NPG.82.137
Restrictions & Rights
CC0
Type
Photograph
Medium
Albumen silver print
Dimensions
Image/Sheet: 17.8 × 10.2 cm (7 × 4")
Mount: 21 × 10.2 cm (8 1/4 × 4")
Mat: 45.7 × 35.6 cm (18 × 14")
Place
United States\Maryland\Baltimore Independent City\Baltimore
See more items in
National Portrait Gallery Collection
Location
Currently not on view
Data Source
National Portrait Gallery
Topic
Costume\Headgear\Headdress
Costume\Jewelry\Earring
Costume\Jewelry\Ring
Costume\Jewelry\Necklace\Bead
Baggage & Luggage\Bag
Interior\Studio\Photography
Costume\Footwear\Shoes\Moccasins
Sarah Winnemucca: Female
Sarah Winnemucca: Arts and Culture\Literature\Writer
Sarah Winnemucca: Arts and Culture\Education and Scholarship\Educator\Teacher
Sarah Winnemucca: Arts and Culture\Education and Scholarship\Scholar\Translator
Sarah Winnemucca: Business and Finance\Natural resources commerce\Guide
Sarah Winnemucca: Politics and Government\Native American leader
Portrait
Link to Original Record
Record ID
npg_NPG.82.137