Lee Marmon
Encyclopedia
Lee H. Marmon is an acclaimed Native American
photographer and author. Born of mixed blood in New Mexico
's Laguna Pueblo
, he has become globally recognized for his prolific and distinguished black-and-white portraits of his tribal elders, who collectively comprised the tribe's last generation to live by their traditional ways and values. The passing of time has turned his collection of tens-of-thousands of photographic images — both portraits and landscapes — into a historical showcase of enduring value and significance.
For decades, his works have appeared in galleries, books, and magazines, including The New York Times
, The Saturday Evening Post
, and Time
. Marmon's works were also featured in the Peabody Award-winning PBS series, "Surviving Columbus". A collection of Marmon's best-known works are featured in his award-winning 2004 book, "The Pueblo Imagination", which he wrote in collaboration with poets Joy Harjo
and Simon Ortiz, and his oldest daughter, acclaimed novelist Leslie Marmon Silko
.
Lee Marmon was born into circumstances that made him uniquely positioned among beings to create this great visual tapestry. The accumulated volumes of his life's work — thousands of photographs from a bygone chapter in our nation’s cultural history — comprise a priceless gift to America. They are the product of the rare confluence of Lee’s ethnic identity, generational positioning, artistic talent, technological vision, and his own cultural awareness.
Marmon took his first photograph in 1936 at age 11, of a motor vehicle accident on the old U.S. Route 66
in Laguna. However, it was 11 years later when Marmon began to embrace photography on a professional level.
Lee Marmon's photography career began as a youthful, creative pursuit in 1947, shortly after he returned home to New Mexico from his World War II
tour of duty on remote Shemya Island in the far western Aleutians. His father, Henry Marmon, put a professional quality Speed Graphic
camera in 22-year-old Lee's hands, and suggested that he take photographs of the tribal elders, "so we'll have something to remember them by." Photography
lessons were scarce on the high desert in the 1940s but it was a practice that young Lee embraced with commitment and enthusiasm. While delivering groceries across the pueblo in his 1930 Model A
, young Lee would come across the pueblo's elder members sunning themselves on the tribal plaza. Despite their lack of familiarity with a camera
, most were happy to oblige Lee's requests for a pose.
Marmon's most famous portrait is the iconic "White Man's Moccasins" (1954), which has become his signature photograph. In that image, tribal elder Jeff Sousea, the 85 year old caretaker of the Laguna mission, is sitting in the afternoon sun sporting a traditional headband, traditional beaded necklaces, and a well-worn pair of Keds brand high-top sneakers on his feet. This curious juxtaposition of both traditional tribal and western wear in "White Man's Moccasins" has come to symbolize the great cultural transition that Marmon's works documented on the pueblos in the mid 20th century, as ancient tribal traditions and practices gradually gave way to more modern, western-oriented practices.
Marmon's varied and notable career has extended beyond photography. He ran the Laguna Trading Post with his father, Henry "Hank" Marmon, from 1949 to 1966. Lee Marmon served as the Laguna Postmaster from 1950 to 1956.
From 1966 to 1982, Marmon lived and worked in southern California, where he served as the official photographer for the Bob Hope Desert Classic Golf Tournament from 1967 to 1973. He returned to live at Laguna Pueblo in 1982.
In 1972, Marmon was commissioned by then President and Mrs. Richard Nixon
for a White House photo collection of tribal pottery from New Mexico.
In May and June 2006, a collection of Marmon's best-known images was on display at the Oliver Wendell Holmes
Library on the campus of Phillips Academy
in Andover
, Massachusetts
.
In June, 2006, Marmon was the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Santa Fe
-based Southwestern Association for Indian Arts for the "legacy of integrity" his works have inspired during the 59 years that Marmon has been practicing his craft.
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
photographer and author. Born of mixed blood in New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
's Laguna Pueblo
Laguna Pueblo
Laguna is a Native American tribe of the Pueblo people in west-central New Mexico, USA. The name, Laguna, is Spanish and derives from the lake located on their reservation. The real Keresan name of the tribe is Kawaik. The population of the tribe exceeds 7,000 , making it the largest Keresan...
, he has become globally recognized for his prolific and distinguished black-and-white portraits of his tribal elders, who collectively comprised the tribe's last generation to live by their traditional ways and values. The passing of time has turned his collection of tens-of-thousands of photographic images — both portraits and landscapes — into a historical showcase of enduring value and significance.
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, The Saturday Evening Post
The Saturday Evening Post
The Saturday Evening Post is a bimonthly American magazine. It was published weekly under this title from 1897 until 1969, and quarterly and then bimonthly from 1971.-History:...
, and Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
. Marmon's works were also featured in the Peabody Award-winning PBS series, "Surviving Columbus". A collection of Marmon's best-known works are featured in his award-winning 2004 book, "The Pueblo Imagination", which he wrote in collaboration with poets Joy Harjo
Joy Harjo
Joy Harjo is a Native American poet, musician, and author of ancestry. Known primarily as a poet, Harjo has also taught at the college level, played alto saxophone with a band called Poetic Justice, edited literary journals, and written screenplays. She is a member of the Muscogee Nation and...
and Simon Ortiz, and his oldest daughter, acclaimed novelist Leslie Marmon Silko
Leslie Marmon Silko
Leslie Marmon Silko is a Native American writer of the Laguna Pueblo tribe, and one of the key figures in the second wave of what Kenneth Lincoln has called the Native American Renaissance...
.
Lee Marmon was born into circumstances that made him uniquely positioned among beings to create this great visual tapestry. The accumulated volumes of his life's work — thousands of photographs from a bygone chapter in our nation’s cultural history — comprise a priceless gift to America. They are the product of the rare confluence of Lee’s ethnic identity, generational positioning, artistic talent, technological vision, and his own cultural awareness.
Marmon took his first photograph in 1936 at age 11, of a motor vehicle accident on the old U.S. Route 66
U.S. Route 66
U.S. Route 66 was a highway within the U.S. Highway System. One of the original U.S. highways, Route 66 was established on November 11, 1926 -- with road signs erected the following year...
in Laguna. However, it was 11 years later when Marmon began to embrace photography on a professional level.
Lee Marmon's photography career began as a youthful, creative pursuit in 1947, shortly after he returned home to New Mexico from his World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
tour of duty on remote Shemya Island in the far western Aleutians. His father, Henry Marmon, put a professional quality Speed Graphic
Speed Graphic
Produced by Graflex in Rochester, New York, the Speed Graphic is commonly called the most famous press camera. Although the first Speed Graphic cameras were produced in 1912, production of later versions continued until 1973; with the most significant improvements occurring in 1947 with the...
camera in 22-year-old Lee's hands, and suggested that he take photographs of the tribal elders, "so we'll have something to remember them by." Photography
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
lessons were scarce on the high desert in the 1940s but it was a practice that young Lee embraced with commitment and enthusiasm. While delivering groceries across the pueblo in his 1930 Model A
Model A
Model A may refer to:* Ford Model A , a model of car built by the Ford Motor Company* Ford Model A , a model of car built by the Ford Motor Company* One of the letter-series models of Farmall tractors...
, young Lee would come across the pueblo's elder members sunning themselves on the tribal plaza. Despite their lack of familiarity with a camera
Camera
A camera is a device that records and stores images. These images may be still photographs or moving images such as videos or movies. The term camera comes from the camera obscura , an early mechanism for projecting images...
, most were happy to oblige Lee's requests for a pose.
Marmon's most famous portrait is the iconic "White Man's Moccasins" (1954), which has become his signature photograph. In that image, tribal elder Jeff Sousea, the 85 year old caretaker of the Laguna mission, is sitting in the afternoon sun sporting a traditional headband, traditional beaded necklaces, and a well-worn pair of Keds brand high-top sneakers on his feet. This curious juxtaposition of both traditional tribal and western wear in "White Man's Moccasins" has come to symbolize the great cultural transition that Marmon's works documented on the pueblos in the mid 20th century, as ancient tribal traditions and practices gradually gave way to more modern, western-oriented practices.
Marmon's varied and notable career has extended beyond photography. He ran the Laguna Trading Post with his father, Henry "Hank" Marmon, from 1949 to 1966. Lee Marmon served as the Laguna Postmaster from 1950 to 1956.
From 1966 to 1982, Marmon lived and worked in southern California, where he served as the official photographer for the Bob Hope Desert Classic Golf Tournament from 1967 to 1973. He returned to live at Laguna Pueblo in 1982.
In 1972, Marmon was commissioned by then President and Mrs. Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
for a White House photo collection of tribal pottery from New Mexico.
In May and June 2006, a collection of Marmon's best-known images was on display at the Oliver Wendell Holmes
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. was an American physician, professor, lecturer, and author. Regarded by his peers as one of the best writers of the 19th century, he is considered a member of the Fireside Poets. His most famous prose works are the "Breakfast-Table" series, which began with The Autocrat...
Library on the campus of Phillips Academy
Phillips Academy
Phillips Academy is a selective, co-educational independent boarding high school for boarding and day students in grades 9–12, along with a post-graduate year...
in Andover
Andover, Massachusetts
Andover is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. It was incorporated in 1646 and as of the 2010 census, the population was 33,201...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
.
In June, 2006, Marmon was the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Santa Fe
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is the fourth-largest city in the state and is the seat of . Santa Fe had a population of 67,947 in the 2010 census...
-based Southwestern Association for Indian Arts for the "legacy of integrity" his works have inspired during the 59 years that Marmon has been practicing his craft.