Robert Henri, leader of the "Ashcan" School, was the ideal humanist who believed in the dignity of all mankind. This conviction is the key to understanding his portraits. In Macedonia -- Portrait of a Pueblo Indian Girl, we sense Henri's value of capturing unspoiled humanity and the true essence of the individual. The solidity of the sitter is expressed in simple, straight-forward terms. The background is situated to celebrate her nationality. Henri writes in his book "the Art Spirit" that a weak background is a deadly thing. The background was to be a compliment and an extension of the sitter. Henri held precious the nationality of his subjects.