Curatorial Narrative The white wampum, by E. Pauline Johnson (Tekahionwake) is an enigmatic work that navigates the cusp of late 19th and early 20th century art historical trends, as exemplified in the stylistic confluence of Art Nouveau and Art Deco influences evident in Ethel Reed’s delicate yet linear brushwork. This juxtaposition yields a visual tension that oscillates between curvilinear ornamentation and rectilinear modernity, underscoring the artist’s interest in reconciling disparate artistic movements. The figural subject, while ambiguous in its representational intent, assumes a heightened sense of abstraction, as if distilled through the lens of Modernist aesthetics.Upon enlargement to 44×62, the palette’s chromatic structure undergoes a subtle transformation, with red undertones receding into the background, allowing white to dominate and assuming an almost architectural quality. The linear brushwork, initially discernib