Skip to main content
Washington University in St. Louis
Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts

Create an account to add artworks to your personal collections.

Enter your email address below to recieve an email to reset your password.

An email has been sent to your inbox to reset your password.

image alt

Martín Chambi

Juan de la Cruz Sihuana, Cusco (formerly known as "Gigante de Paruro" [Giant of Paruro])

c. 1925–29, printed later

image alt
1 / 1

In studio photographs taken throughout the nineteenth century, Indigenous Peruvians were often positioned in front of stylized floral backgrounds and directed to assume shy smiles, reflecting photographers’ attempts to portray Indigenous communities as innocent and passive. Martín Chambi, however, working in the early twentieth century, chose to present his models with greater transparency. Works such as this one, in which the poverty of the model is on full display, as evidenced by his torn and patched clothing, provoke many questions: How does one read an image so obviously posed? In this context, how does one respond to the obvious poverty or interpret the portrait as conveying an identity? [Permanent collection label, 2023]

  • Artist Martín Chambi (Peruvian, 1891–1973)
  • Title Juan de la Cruz Sihuana, Cusco (formerly known as "Gigante de Paruro" [Giant of Paruro])
  • Date c. 1925–29, printed later
  • Medium Gelatin silver print
  • Dimensions sheet | 10 x 8 in.
  • Credit line Gift of Laurie Wilson, Robert Frerck, and family, 2015
  • Object number 426.2015

Martín Chambi and Edward Sheriff Curtis
Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, Washington University in St. Louis, 11/11/2022 - 11/21/2024

12/10/2015 Received at MLKAM; 12/30/2015 Deed of Gift signed by L. Wilson; 3/31/2016 ACC presentation
Robert Frerck (Chicago, IL)

This artwork record may be incomplete or need refinement. Our staff actively researches the collection and revises records when new information is available. If you have questions or comments about this record, please contact us.

Related Content

go to Martín Chambi and Edward Sheriff Curtis page
431_2015.jpg
Exhibitions

Martín Chambi and Edward Sheriff Curtis

November 11, 2022–November 21, 2024

Image Reproduction Request Form

To request image materials and/or permission to reproduce a work of art from the Museum's collection, please complete and submit the form below. The information you provide here will enable us to process your request and assess the appropriate images, permissions, and any applicable fees. 

Typically, image requests that do not require new photography can be completed within three weeks. Whenever possible, rush orders may be accommodated, although additional fees may apply.

If you have questions, please contact Kristin Good, associate registrar, at kristin.good@wustl.edu.

Checking this box constitutes a legal signature. By checking this box, the applicant agrees to abide by all terms and conditions under which permission is granted to reproduce works of art in the collection of the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, and that permission is contingent upon payment of any applicable fees.

* Required fields

test View details