A Moki Potter c. 1900

This photograph, "A Moki Potter," was taken by Adam Clark Vroman, an American bookseller-turned-photographer. The image shows a Hopi woman making pottery, the traditional way. The clay would have been dug locally, processed by hand, coiled to form the vessel, then burnished to a smooth finish. Think about the skill involved, passed down through generations. The potter’s hands, tools, and intimate knowledge of materials are all essential to the process. Vroman’s photographs captured a romanticized vision of Indigenous life. But they also drew attention to the economic realities of the time. Vroman sold these images as postcards, contributing to a market that both celebrated and commodified Native American culture. So while the image seems to celebrate Indigenous craft, we should also consider the labor involved, and the market forces at play. This photo becomes a fascinating document, not just of a potter at work, but of a complex cultural exchange.