Benjamin Haldane
Encyclopedia
Benjamin Alfred Haldane (1874-1941) was a Tsimshian
professional photographer from Metlakatla, Alaska
.
.
He was a full-blood member of the Tsimshian tribe, a First Nations
people spanning British Columbia
and Alaska. At the age of 13, Haldane migrated to the village of Metlakatla, Alaska, located on Annette Island
, along with 800 other Tsimshian people. They made the 30-mile journey by canoe, seeking secure land rights and religious freedom with the missionary William Duncan
.
Haldane's parents were Matthias (Matthew) Haldane and Caroline Auriol. Haldane married his first wife, Martha Calvert, on 17 November 1896, and together the couple had 11 children. Margaret died in 1918. Haldane married again before 1938 to his second wife, Margaret.
He was a successful merchant and grocer, who served as his village's secretary for 35 years. In 1903, Haldane began teaching music and was respected for his musical abilities throughout southeast Alaska. For 38 years, he was the organist and choir master at the William Duncan Memorial Church and led the Metlakatla Concert Band.
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 potlatch
es, outlawed at the time, along the Nass River
.
His photographs have been increasingly exhibited in recent decades. This revived interest in his work was sparked by Dennis Dunne, who rescued 162 original glass plate negatives of Haldane's photographs from the dump on Annette Island in the 1990s.
The Tongass Historical Museum curated Metlakatla: Vintage Photographs in 2006, which featured 36 of prints of his photographs. Also in 2006, his work was included in Our People, Our Land, Our Images, an exhibition of indigenous photographers at the C. N. Gorman Museum at the University of California, Davis
, curated by Hulleah Tsinhnahjinnie
. That shows also traveled to the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture
in Seattle, Washington
. in 2007.
Tsimshian
The Tsimshian are an indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest Coast. Tsimshian translates to Inside the Skeena River. Their communities are in British Columbia and Alaska, around Terrace and Prince Rupert and the southernmost corner of Alaska on Annette Island. There are approximately 10,000...
professional photographer from Metlakatla, Alaska
Metlakatla, Alaska
Metlakatla is a census-designated place on Annette Island in Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area, Alaska, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 1,375.- History :...
.
Background
Benjamin Alfred Haldane was born on 15 June 1874 in the village of Metlakatla, British ColumbiaMetlakatla, British Columbia
Metlakatla, British Columbia, is a small community that is one of the seven Tsimshian village communities in British Columbia, Canada. It is situated at Metlakatla Pass near Prince Rupert, British Columbia...
.
He was a full-blood member of the Tsimshian tribe, a First Nations
First Nations
First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...
people spanning British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
and Alaska. At the age of 13, Haldane migrated to the village of Metlakatla, Alaska, located on Annette Island
Annette Island
Annette Island, or Taak'w Aan, is an island in Gravina Islands of the Alexander Archipelago of the Pacific Ocean on the southeastern coast of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is at . It is about long and about wide. The land area is...
, along with 800 other Tsimshian people. They made the 30-mile journey by canoe, seeking secure land rights and religious freedom with the missionary William Duncan
William Duncan (missionary)
William Duncan was an English-born Anglican missionary who founded the Tsimshian communities of Metlakatla, British Columbia, in Canada, and Metlakatla, Alaska, in the United States...
.
Haldane's parents were Matthias (Matthew) Haldane and Caroline Auriol. Haldane married his first wife, Martha Calvert, on 17 November 1896, and together the couple had 11 children. Margaret died in 1918. Haldane married again before 1938 to his second wife, Margaret.
He was a successful merchant and grocer, who served as his village's secretary for 35 years. In 1903, Haldane began teaching music and was respected for his musical abilities throughout southeast Alaska. For 38 years, he was the organist and choir master at the William Duncan Memorial Church and led the Metlakatla Concert Band.
Art career
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 potlatch
Potlatch
A potlatch is a gift-giving festival and primary economic system practiced by indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast of Canada and United States. This includes Heiltsuk Nation, Haida, Nuxalk, Tlingit, Makah, Tsimshian, Nuu-chah-nulth, Kwakwaka'wakw, and Coast Salish cultures...
es, outlawed at the time, along the Nass River
Nass River
The Nass River is a river in northern British Columbia, Canada. It flows from the Coast Mountains southwest to Nass Bay, a sidewater of Portland Inlet, which connects to the North Pacific Ocean via the Dixon Entrance...
.
Legacy
Haldane died on 21 November 1941 from pulmonary tuberculosis. He is buried in Ocean View Cemetery in Metlakatla.His photographs have been increasingly exhibited in recent decades. This revived interest in his work was sparked by Dennis Dunne, who rescued 162 original glass plate negatives of Haldane's photographs from the dump on Annette Island in the 1990s.
The Tongass Historical Museum curated Metlakatla: Vintage Photographs in 2006, which featured 36 of prints of his photographs. Also in 2006, his work was included in Our People, Our Land, Our Images, an exhibition of indigenous photographers at the C. N. Gorman Museum at the University of California, Davis
University of California, Davis
The University of California, Davis is a public teaching and research university established in 1905 and located in Davis, California, USA. Spanning over , the campus is the largest within the University of California system and third largest by enrollment...
, curated by Hulleah Tsinhnahjinnie
Hulleah Tsinhnahjinnie
Hulleah Tsinhnahjinnie is a Seminole-Muscogee-Diné photographer, curator, and educator living in Davis, California.-Background:Hulleah J...
. That shows also traveled to the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture
Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture
The Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture has been a Washington state museum since 1899. It is located at the University of Washington campus at the intersection of N.E. 45th Street and 17th Avenue N.E. in Seattle, Washington, USA, in the University District. It is the only major natural...
in Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
. in 2007.
External links
- Extensive collection of Benjamin Haldane's photography, Tongass Historical Museum