Fifteenth International Conference on The Inclusive Museum

Abstract

Sharlot Mabridth Hall circulated amongst the Southwest circle of artists, anthropologists, archeologists, and writers. She worked with this community and collected extensively within the Southwest indigenous peoples. While not as wealthy or idealistic as Mary Cabot Wheelwright, her museum organized itself around key elements of Boasian anthropology, romanticization of the West, and Anglo cultural (mis)understandings of indigenous societies. Looking at her artifact collection, letters, and professional writing provide an opportunity to evaluate the use of Primitivism in both the art and anthropology fields. This paper considers her fiction, poetry, letters regarding her collection, and museum-making to put them in context of how Primitivism was used and applied in professional circles.