Through January 15, 2023, see Between Two Worlds: The Photography of Lee Marmon at Albuquerque Museum.
Lee Marmon (Laguna Pueblo, 1926 – 2021) was one of America’s first professional Native American photographers. His work continues to challenge the way people view Native Americans, which the exhibition Between Two Worlds: The Photography of Lee Marmon, on view at the Albuquerque Museum, abundantly demonstrates.
On the one hand, there are Marmon’s photographs documenting elders and Indigenous customs from Laguna Pueblo and Acoma Pueblo in his native New Mexico. The exhibition showcases his disruptive talent for using his camera to upend typical portrayals of Indigenous peoples in his authentic depictions of everyday Puebloan life and a community that historically has been romanticized.
Lee Marmon, Buzzard Butte, 1985, gelatin silver print, Albuquerque Museum, gift of Cate Stetson
“He photographed moments and places inaccessible to anyone outside the Indigenous community. He also had direct access and relationships with the people he photographed, allowing him to develop a connection in his work. Situated between Indigenous and Western cultures, Marmon had access to both,” according to press materials from Albuquerque Museum.
Lee Marmon, White Man’s Moccasins, 1954, gelatin silver print, Albuquerque Museum, gift of Cate Stetson
On the other hand, there are images Marmon produced as a professional photographer in California. Taken together, the photographs of these “two worlds” invite the viewer to contemplate the cultural divide Marmon straddled.
Lee Marmon, Acoma Mission Bell, 1985, gelatin silver print, #2000-017-0031, Center for Southwest Research, University of New Mexico.
Included in the show is his famous portrait White Man’s Moccasins, which features “Old Man Jeff” (Jeff Sousea) wearing Converse high-top shoes and holding a cigar Marmon gave him.
Click right to view more photography by Lee Marmom
Marmon’s passion for photography began with the world around him and continued throughout a 60-plus-year career that produced more than 100,000 images. His iconic imagery has appeared in galleries, books, and homes across the nation. Between Two Worlds will be on view at the Albuquerque Museum through January 15, 2023.
Lead image: Lee Marmon, Laguna Buffalo Dancer, 1962, gelatin silver print, Albuquerque Museum, gift of Cate Stetson
