A Tlingit Indian of the Pacific Northwest Coast,
c. 1900-10
Winter & Pond of Juneau, Alaska

A silver print showing a Tlingit Indian beside a pile of furs; he is wearing his traditional Chilkat blanket 

The Tlingit are indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast; they constitute 2 of the 231 federally recognised Tribes of Alaska. The Tlingit have a matrilineal kinship system, with children born into the mother’s clan, and property and hereditary roles passing through the mother’s line. 

Chilkat weaving is a traditional form of weaving practised by Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian and other Northwest Coast peoples of Alaska and British Colombia. The robes are worn by high-ranking tribal members on civic or ceremonial occasions. The blankets are almost always black, white, yellow and blue. By the 1990s only an estimated six people still practised true Chilkat weaving but today the technique is enjoying a revival. 

Photographed by Winter & Pond of Juneau, Alaska. 

Established in 1893, the studio was a partnership between Lloyd Valentine Winter (1866-1945) and Edwin Percy Pond (1872-1943). Their work includes scenes of the Klondike Gold Rush, the Tlingit people and views of Alaskan glaciers. The studio was in business for more than fifty years. Pond died in 1943 and in 1945 Winter passed the business on to Francis Harrison, who closed it in 1956. 

Condition: the print is in excellent condition, with good tonal range. (The Internet is adding a pinkish hue to the print, at least on my computer, but the original has no pink tones at all.) It is mounted on a very clean, stiff, firm album page with crisp edges and sharp corners. The reverse of the page is blank. 

Dimensions: the print measures 7.1” by 4.2” (18 cm by 10.7 cm); the page on which it’s mounted measures 12.7” by 8.9” (32.3 cm by 22.6 cm).