Response to "Photographing the Past During the Present"

     Like the end of the reading stated, both Edward Curtis and Richard Throssel created work that "invites contemporary audiences to interrogate the past and the people who documented it with a more critical eye". This reading enlightened me on the fact that there were Native American photographers at that time. After reading this chapter of Lampert's book, I came to admire Richard Throssel for utilizing the new medium of photography to address problems in his community; Throssel's work is admirable in that it accurately captures the lives of Native Americans. Although Curtis's work did leave an "extensive record of Native peoples", I still can't get over the unpalatable fact that he took a selfish approach and left damaging stereotypes on the Native people.
     During a time where many were curious about the lives of Native Americans, Edward S. Curtis capitalized on the chance to portray Natives through his own lens and sell these images to "wealthy clientele". It's one thing for Curtis to be curious, then document and "create a reality for himself" but it's another thing to intentionally utilize a whole group of people to create visual propaganda, altering their reality for a large audience and then leave them to deal with the negative stereotypes that remained. Richard Throssel's work served as "a form of community activism" and he was genuinely dedicated to helping his people through the photography medium, with their permission. It's a shame that Throssel's work wasn't given as much public recognition as Curtis' work; I think if it had been the other way around, Native American people would have one less problem to face.