Artifact of the Month: October 2022

Haldane Photo Studio in Metlakatla

Benjamin Alfred Haldane was one of the first professional Native photographers on the Northwest Coast. His surviving work on glass plate negatives captures stunning images of Tsimshian men, women, children, and families in the early 1900s. This month's featured artifact is a self-portrait of Haldane in his photography studio.

Haldane was born in 1874 in Metlakatla, British Columbia, and was part of the resettlement to Metlakatla, Alaska, led by Anglican missionary William Duncan. Expelled from Duncan's school at the age of 15, Haldane persisted in developing his own education and pursued photography. By age 16, he was offering family portraits. At age 25, he opened his own photography studio. Even when photographing within the influx of European culture, Haldane staunchly represented the Tsimshian spirit.

Haldane and over 30 other Native American, First Nations, and Metis photographers will be included in a forthcoming exhibit at the Minneapolis Institute of Art set to open in 2023. The as yet untitled exhibit is the first show of, by, and for Indigenous people focused on photography and the knowledge systems that guide their work.

Ketchikan Museums: Benjamin A. Haldane image, KM 89.2.14.21