Hamatsa — Edward S. Curtis, 1914 | Archival Photography Champion Sweatshirt

HAMATSA — EMERGING FROM THE WOODS

A striking photograph from the Pacific Northwest, 1914.

This black Champion crewneck sweatshirt from Reading Frames — Printed Editions features a remarkable historical photograph by Edward S. Curtis, one of the most influential and controversial photographers of Indigenous North America.

A small photographic print appears on the front, while a larger reproduction occupies the back.

THE PHOTOGRAPH — 1914

Originally titled Hamatsa Emerging from the Woods — Koskimo, the photograph depicts a participant in the Hamat̕sa ceremonial tradition of the Kwakwakaʼwakw peoples of British Columbia.

Seated before a massive tree, the man raises both hands. His mouth is open, and branches of evergreen foliage form an elaborate headdress and adorn his arms.

The photograph's original archival description associates the scene with an initiation ceremony and a period spent in the forest.

Yet the image also raises a question central to the history of photography: where does ethnographic documentation end and photographic staging begin?

EDWARD S. CURTIS AND THE NORTH AMERICAN INDIAN

Edward S. Curtis (1868–1952) spent decades photographing Indigenous communities across North America.

His monumental publication The North American Indian sought to document cultural practices, portraits, and traditions through photographs and ethnographic texts.

Today, this extraordinary body of work is valued as an important historical archive, while also being critically examined for its romanticized representations and staged compositions.

The photograph featured here is preserved in the Library of Congress's Edward S. Curtis Collection.

ONE PHOTOGRAPH, TWO SCALES

The design places the same image on both sides of the garment.

On the front, a small reproduction invites a closer look. On the back, the image expands into a full photographic composition.

The contrast of scales brings attention to the relationship between the archival photograph, the historical subject, and the contemporary object carrying the image.

ABOUT READING FRAMES

Reading Frames is an independent artistic project exploring archival photography, visual culture, and the changing meanings of historical images.

Our Printed Editions present carefully selected photographs in contemporary compositions, while preserving their connection to the histories and contexts from which they emerged.

PRODUCT DETAILS

• Champion men's crewneck sweatshirt

• Black fabric

• Small photographic print on the front

• Large archival photographic print on the back

• Produced individually on demand

• Printed and shipped by our production partner

Reading Frames — Printed Editions

Wear a photograph. Carry a story.