Sacajawea Howard, St. Gabriel, Louisiana 27 - 2000

Deborah Luster created this tintype of Sacajawea Howard in St. Gabriel, Louisiana. Luster’s work often addresses themes of memory, loss, and the marginalized. This image complicates notions of visibility, identity, and representation. The tintype process, with its antiquated feel, lends a sense of timelessness, yet also hints at the historical erasure of incarcerated women of color. Sacajawea’s face is partially obscured by what appears to be a mask of dark pigment. The mask might serve as protection or a form of defiance against the dehumanizing aspects of incarceration. Here, Luster offers a powerful statement on the prison system, while crafting a deeply personal portrait of a woman named Sacajawea, evoking the complicated legacy of another, more famous, Sacajawea. This image prompts us to consider the weight of history, the stories we tell, and the lives we choose to remember.