Kahkewāquonāby or Reverend Peter Jones 1845

Editor: So, here we have “Kahkewāquonāby or Reverend Peter Jones,” a daguerreotype made around 1845 by Hill and Adamson. The sepia tones and soft focus give it this dreamy, almost reverent feel. What strikes you most when you look at it? Curator: Reverent, yes, that’s a good word. I feel like I’m peering back through time, catching a glimpse of a complex man straddling two worlds. You see the traditional Indigenous garments, but then also that very Victorian-era, stiff portrait pose. It makes me wonder about the performance of identity happening here, doesn't it? Is he playing a role, or revealing one? What do you think of his gaze? Editor: He looks almost wary. I was reading that he advocated for his people, but also had to navigate some very tricky colonial politics. It must have been exhausting. I wonder about the choice of the daguerreotype, though. Was it just the new thing, or was there a deeper meaning in capturing him in this specific way? Curator: Exactly! It's the 'new thing', but think about it – a technology literally capturing a person's image, holding them still in time. And in 1845, photography felt incredibly 'true', like an irrefutable record. Did the photographers intend to record Kahkewāquonāby's duality? Was he even in control of how he was presented? Editor: That's a perspective I hadn't considered. Thinking about agency, the photographers, the sitter... it changes how you see the whole thing. I initially viewed it as almost purely aesthetic. Curator: Me too! It's amazing, isn't it, how an image from so long ago can spark so many thoughts and feelings today. Each viewing invites you to see history through multiple lenses. Editor: Totally! Now, it makes me curious about all the portraits of indigenous people taken around that time… There’s something incredibly powerful, but also inherently problematic about this genre.