National Museum of the American Indian

Werner Lüthy photographs from Venezuela

Summary

Collection ID:
NMAI.AC.189
Creators:
Lüthy , Werner, 1899-1967
Dates:
circa 1931
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
0.02 Linear feet
14 Photographs
Repository:
This collection contains 14 photographs depicting the Barí (Motilone) and Wayuu (Guajira/Goajiro) peoples of Venezuela circa 1930-1931.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
N36511-N36516, P09993-P10000
This collection contains 8 gelatin silver prints shot by photographer Werner Lüthy circa 1930-1931 and and 6 copy negatives created by the Museum of the American Indian. The photographs depict the Barí (Motilone) and Wayuu (Guajira/Goajiro) peoples of Venezuela. The photographs include portraits of individuals and groups, as well as scenes of daily life such as a pearl fisherman repairing a sail, pearl fishermen sitting on a mound of shells, and individuals wearing face paint. One photograph depicts the top of a man's head showing scars, which according to Lüthy, was obtained during a "Chicha-feast" when one man hits another over the head with a sharp bow until one man drops. The photographs have typed captions on the versos.

Arrangement

Arrangement
Arranged by catalog number.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Werner Lüthy (also spelled Luthy) was a Swiss photographer who lived in Bern, Switzerland. Born on August 1, 1899, Lüthy specialized in travel photography. His work was exhibited in Bern in the 1930s through 1950s and published in numerous photography journals. Lüthy died on November 11, 1967.

Administration

Author
Emily Moazami
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated to the Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation by Werner Lüthy in 1931.
Processing Information
Collection level record by Emily Moazami, 2019.

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access
Access to NMAI Archive Center collections is by appointment only, Monday - Friday, 9:30 am - 4:30 pm. Please contact the archives to make an appointment (phone: 301-238-1400, email: nmaiarchives@si.edu).
Conditions Governing Use
Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from National Museum of the American Indian Archive Center. Please submit a written request to nmaiphotos@si.edu. For personal or classroom use, users are invited to download, print, photocopy, and distribute the images that are available online without prior written permission, provided that the files are not modified in any way, the Smithsonian Institution copyright notice (where applicable) is included, and the source of the image is identified as the National Museum of the American Indian. For more information please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use and NMAI Archive Center's Digital Image request website.
Preferred Citation
Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Werner Lüthy photographs from Venezuela, catalog #, NMAI.AC.202; National Museum of the American Indian Archive Center, Smithsonian Institution.

Related Materials
The State Archives of Canton Bern in Switzerland holds a collection of Werner Lüthy photographs.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Venezuela Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Barí (Motilone) Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Wayuu (Guajira/Goajiro) Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Indians of South America Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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