Collection:
Juneau—Douglas City Museum
Object ID:
2007.06.001
Accession#:
2007.06
Credit Line:
Museum Purchase.
Object Name:
Print, Photographic
Title:
Once Upon a Time in America
Artist — Creator:
McNeil, Larry
Date:
2002
Year Range to:
2006
Description:
Digital Photographic Print.
Image shows a divided background . The top is a purplish blue, like india ink and the bottom is a bright red. Top, proper right is an image of a raven in flight with beak toward the center of the composition. At proper left is a line drawing that shows the formline image of a killer whale. At center bottom is the image of two ladies. They are outside, an elderly lady sits in a chair. A young woman in a red dress stands at her left elbow. Next to the yound woman is written: "Once upon a time / in America / during World War II / My Mom was among the / first Tlingits to attend / the Juneau Schools and / she dominated her / classmates academically. / / Her white teachers told / her that she was not pure / enough ..."

There is a second text block above the first, it is outlined in white and says: "I remember that little / bandage on my arm. Two / Juneau white teachers / said anyone who "wasn't pure" / shouldn't be ______ ________ / for Juneau Schools."
Notes:
The small penant flag in the window of the photo at center indicates that the family had two soldiers serving in the War. Woman standing is the artist's mother Anita McNeil. Woman sitting is the artist's grandmother Mary Brown Betts.
People:
McNeil, Larry
McNeil, Anita
Betts, Mary Brown
Search Terms:
Tlingit
Photograph
Art
Fine Arts
Military
WW2
Click to Enlarge
Larry McNeil Larry McNeil "Once Upon a Time in America"