Haskell Student

Marguerite M. Nellis, artist

1906–1998

Haskell Student, circa 1939

Where object was made: United States

Material/technique: soft-ground etching

Dimensions:
Sheet/Paper Dimensions (Height x Width): 318 x 235 mm
Sheet/Paper Dimensions (Height x Width): 12 1/2 x 9 1/4 in
Mat Dimensions (Height x Width): 19 x 14 in

Credit line: Gift of the WPA Arts Project

Accession number: 0000.0424

Not on display

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Native Fashion

Established in 1884 as the United States Indian Industrial Training School, Haskell Institute in Lawrence, Kansas, was one of the earliest and largest government-run boarding schools in the United States. When these student portraits were created in the late 1930s, Haskell had begun offering accredited high-school classes and some post–high school courses. These portraits feature students wearing everyday clothing of the time, demonstrating both the success of government policies during the boarding school era as well as Native resilience and adaptability to mainstream culture as a means of survival.

Separate and Not Equal: A History of Race and Education in America

Kansas artist Nellis created portraits of local people of color as part of a Works Progress Administration arts project designed to provide economic relief to American citizens, including artists, during the Great Depression. Among those Nellis depicted were these three Native American students, all of whom were enrolled at Haskell Institute located in Lawrence. Originally established in 1884, Haskell Institute was one of the earliest and largest government-run boarding schools in the United States. By the time Nellis met these students in the 1930s, it had begun offering accredited high-school classes and some post–high
school courses. Today, Haskell Institute lives on as a four-year intertribal college, Haskell Indian Nations University.