Progressive Era: 1890–1920s: Native Americans Fight for Land, Identity, & Education
Click image to zoom in.Or view larger version. To-Tole (The Star). 1894. Grace Carpenter Hudson, artist. Oil paint on canvas. Collection of Oakland Museum of California. Gift of Mrs. Leon Bocqueraz.
This is a portrait of Mollie Duncan, a Pomo Indian woman, born in Potter Valley, California. She spent her childhood at the Coyote Valley Rancheria, located in today’s Mendocino County. While still a young teenager, she married fellow Rancheria resident William Duncan. The couple was separated for a time, near the beginning of their marriage, while William attended the Chemawa Indian boarding school in Oregon, to learn a trade.