Collection of Photographs of the Indian Village at the New York State Fair.

[Syracuse, New York]: Circa 1930s-40s. 36 black and white photographs; 17 measuring 7 x 4.75", 18 measuring between 3.75 x 3" and 5 x 3", and one measuring 3.25 x 2.25". A collection of photographs of the Indian Village at the New York State Fair in Syracuse, New York. The village was built and expanded over the course of the 1930s, under the supervision of Cornell University and the State Department of Agriculture. It featured "authentic buildings erected in the old tribal manner on a tract of land set aside for Indian purposes in a large corner of the Fair grounds. There the Iroquois Indian families will portray the manner in which their ancestors lived and they will show how they have progressed in farming and homemaking on their present day reservations" (Poughkeepsie Eagle-News, 6/25/1937). Each of the seven Iroquois reservations in the state were represented, and the village hosted Native American dance performances as well as the yearly meeting of the Iroquois Confederacy.

Eleven of the larger images depict the exhibits of Six Nations culture and agriculture held inside the village buildings. This includes displays of textiles, masks, straw baskets, maize, and other crafts and foodstuffs, several accompanied by a sign reading "All Exhibits Grown by Six Nations Indian Farmers." The remaining images (both large format and snapshots) depict Native American dance performances, the village buildings, white tourists and onlookers, an elder holding maize, and a large statue of an ear of corn. Overall in very good condition with mild curling to images. Item #15138

Price: $650.00