This collection contains gelatin silver photographs shot by photographer David Grant Noble that depict Mohawk ironworkers constructing a building in New York City and Anishinaabe (Chippewa/Ojibwa) wild rice harvesting in Wisconsin and Minnesota, 1970-1971.
Scope and Contents:
This collection contains 192 gelatin silver prints shot by photographer David Grant Noble from 1970-1971. The photographs depict Mohawk ironworkers at a construction site at 450 Park Avenue (Franklin National Bank Building) in New York City; Lake Superior Chippewa band of Anishinaabe harvesting wild rice on the Bad River Reservation in Odanah, Wisconsin; Minnesota Chippewa [Bois Forte/Nett Lake, Minnesota] band of Anishinaabe harvesting wild rice on the Bois Forte Reservation in northern Minnesota; and Anishinaabe (Chippewa/Ojibwa) Pinery Indian Cemetery in L'Anse, Michigan.
Arrangement:
The photographs are arranged in folders and oversize boxes according to subject matter.
Biographical / Historical:
David Grant Noble is a professional photographer, author, and editor living in Santa Fe, New Mexico. After attending Yale University, Noble served in the U.S. Army in 1962 where he began his photography career.
In 1970, Noble was shooting street photography when he befriended Mohawk ironworkers constructing a building at Park Avenue and 53rd Street in New York City. They invited him to document their work including photographing them many stories above street level.
From 1971-1989, Noble worked at the School for Advanced Research (SAR) in Santa Fe where he photographed and studied American southwest archaeological ruins, cliff dwellings, rock art, and landscapes. His books include Ancient Ruins of the Southwest: an Archaeological Guide, Search of Chaco: New Approaches to an Archaeological Enigma, and In the Places of the Spirits.
Noble's photographs are in the collections of numerous public institutions including Yale University's Beinecke Library, Museum of New Mexico, and New York City Public Library. He is also the recipient of the 2011 Emil Haury Award from the Western National Parks Association and the 2003 Victor Stoner Award from the Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society.
Provenance:
The photographs in this collection were a Museum purchase and gift of David Grant Noble.
Restrictions:
Access to NMAI Archive Center collections is by appointment only, Monday - Friday, 9:30 am - 4:30 pm. Please contact the archives to make an appointment (phone: 301-238-1400, email: nmaiarchives@si.edu).
Rights:
Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from National Museum of the American Indian Archive Center. Please submit a written request to nmaiphotos@si.edu.
Some photographs in this collection are RESTRICTED due to Cultural Sensitivity.
Topic:
Indians of North America -- Québec (Province) Search this
Identification of specific item; Date (if known); David Grant Noble photographs, Box and Photo Number; National Museum of the American Indian Archive Center, Smithsonian Institution.