Benjamin Alfred Haldane, Haldane Studio, Metlakatla, Alaska
Benjamin Alfred Haldane
1874-1941
Tsimshian
Alternative Name
B.A. Haldane
Date
c.1907
Medium Specific
digital print
Edition / State
reprint
Classification
Photograph
Dimensions
8 1/2 x 14 in. (21.6 x 35.6 cm)
Sheet: 10 1/2 x 16 (26.7 x 40.6 cm)
Sheet: 10 1/2 x 16 (26.7 x 40.6 cm)
Accession Number
2006.25.10.38
Credit
Tongass Historical Museum, Ketchikan, Alaska.
Biography
Haldane took up photography in the late 19th century, as did his brother Henry Haldane and Thomas Eaton, also Tsimshian. At the age of 25, in 1899, Haldane opened his own portrait studio.
He maintained his studio and actively documented the people of his community from the 1890s to approximately 1910. He specialized in portrait photography and his works are carefully composed. They show the Tsimshian at a time of great transition. Families and individuals posed in Western clothing of their day. They are photographed inside with props and backdrops or outside. He photographed events such as weddings or concerts by his marching band. As a community insider, he was able to achieve an intimate look at the Tsimshian people. He was also able to photograph potlatches, outlawed at the time, along the Nass River.
He maintained his studio and actively documented the people of his community from the 1890s to approximately 1910. He specialized in portrait photography and his works are carefully composed. They show the Tsimshian at a time of great transition. Families and individuals posed in Western clothing of their day. They are photographed inside with props and backdrops or outside. He photographed events such as weddings or concerts by his marching band. As a community insider, he was able to achieve an intimate look at the Tsimshian people. He was also able to photograph potlatches, outlawed at the time, along the Nass River.
Date of Bio