The Indian Craze: Primitivism, Modernism, and Transculturation in American Art, 1890-1915. By Elizabeth Hutchinson

Abstract

Anyone who has read Museum Anthropology knows a good deal about the topic of Elizabeth Hutchinson’s book, The Indian CrazeFEuro-American passion for collecting native art. Through the years the journal has published articles on the collecting and display of Native American and First Nation peoples’ art, studies of international expositions and museums as sites of public display, and how these venues have affected the way the public sees and understands Native Americans. These studies, as well as a wealth of other articles and books, have provided a richly nuanced picture of the topics discussed in this book. Hutchinson, an art historian, uses a literary and cultural studies approach to attempt to demonstrate that the development of modernism and its aestheticism must be attributed to the Indian craze. Through the commercialization and objectification of native artifacts, the craze proposed handmade primitive objects as models for artists’ exploration of new aesthetic ideas and practices. She does this by discussing a suite of case studies in which intercultural exchange and appropriation of native art and aesthetic were evident: U.S. government schools, mainstream art institutions, and the work of transitional artists Winnebago Angel DeCora and Euro-American Gertrude Kasebier. It is in these areas that Hutchinson provides us with an insightful comparison. The book opens with the chapter ‘‘Unpacking the Indian Corner,’’ which examines the commercialization of native art through the modern aesthetic of Indian corners in eastern urban centers such as New York. The author considers the origin of Indian corners, the politics and techniques of display, and the promotion of native art as a commodity. ‘‘The White Man’s Indian Art’’ follows with a discussion of native art programs in government schools and their pervasive appropriation of the Indian craze for educational purposes. ‘‘Playing Indian’’ discusses how interest in the aesthetic value of Native American art emerged not only within the arts and crafts movement but also in mainstream art institutions. An analysis of selected art journals, schools, and exhibitions shows that the appropriation of the formal and aesthetic qualities of native art, particularly basketry and pottery, was a stepping stone for modernist artists in search of a new American character for their works. Hutchinson then presents two case studies of women artists whose works reflected this trend. In ‘‘The Indian in Kasebier’s Studio’’ Hutchinson focuses on Gertrude Kasebier, a student of Arthur Wesley Dow, and the incorporation of native aestheticism into her works as a stratagem to solve the tensions arising from being a modernist artist and a woman. ‘‘Angel DeCora’s Cultural Politics’’ examines the life and career of Winnebago artist and educator Angel DeCora and considers how DeCora appropriated the Indian craze to argue for ‘‘the economic and cultural survival of Native Americans’’ through their artistic productions (p. 171). Particular attention is paid to DeCora’s ‘‘cultural politics’’ of promoting a pan-Indian aesthetic that was deemed able to contribute to American culture and art. An epilogue focuses on ‘‘the legacy of the Indian craze’’ and its ‘‘influence on Native art’’ in the 1930s and 1970s (p. 222). This book is a good introduction for those unfamiliar with the late–19th and early–20th century American collecting practices of native art. Hutchinson forcefully argues that Americans have seen an essentialized Native American culture as distinct from mainstream culture. Although other scholars have repeatedly made this point, Hutchinson provides information about understudied collecting and display activities from the turn of the 20th century. She explicates the commodification of native objects for the beautification of the home and the appropriation of native aesthetic by Euro-American artists. In addition, she clearly draws the connection between the Indian craze and government education of Native American children, which aimed at transforming them to be producers of goods rather than equal citizens, and adds important contributions to our book reviews