Edward S. Curtis, Typical Nez Percé, 1899
Edward S. Curtis
1868 - 1952
Typical Nez Percé, 1899
gold-toned printing-out-paper print (GTPOP)
signed and dated in the negative lower left: CURTIS / COPYRIGHTED / 1899 / 15
negative date: 1899
print date: ca. 1899
For a very short period beginning around 1898–99, Edward S. Curtis produced a small group of gold-toned printing-out-paper prints for exhibition and sale. Made by exposing delicate, light-sensitive paper beneath a negative, usually in sunlight, then processing and gold-toning it, these prints typically have a luster surface and rich reddish-brown tones, yielding fine details and delicate tonal gradations. Few survive, making them rare examples of Curtis’s early photographic artistry.
15 x 11 3/4 in. (38.1 x 29.8 cm.), overmat: 24 x 20 in. (61 x 50.8 cm.)
Private Collection, Aspen, Colorado
Literature:
The North American Indian (1907-1930), Portfolio 8, pl. 258
Native Nations, Bulfinch Press, 1993, p. 27
Sacred Legacy: Edward S. Curtis and the North American Indian, Simon & Schuster, 2000, p. 144
Edward S. Curtis: The Great Warriors, Bulfinch Press, 2004, pl. 53
The North American Indian Republication Custom Edition, Christopher Cardozo Fine Art, 2014, Portfolio Volume 2, pl. 258
Edward S. Curtis One Hundred Masterworks, Delmonico Books/Prestel Publishing, 2015, p. 146
The North American Indian Republication Reference Edition, Christopher Cardozo Fine Art, 2017, Portfolio Volume 2, pl. 258
The Nez Percé were a small and highly regarded tribal group who lived in the Plateau region of The West. Their leader, and Curtis' friend, was the renowned Chief Joseph. The Nez Percé brave in this rare print obviously possessed great strength and dignity. His gaze is intent and direct. His unshorn hair is worn loose except for the traditional "pompadour" on top. He wears a simple shirt with shell or bone buttons; a fourteen-strand shell bead ("heishi") necklace, with tiny brass bells in the outer strand, and a multi-color heishi choker. Overall, this is one of Curtis' most compelling and iconic portraits, in an extremely beautiful and rare process.
Edward S. Curtis was an American photographer, ethnographer, and publisher best known for his ambitious lifelong project documenting Indigenous peoples of North America. Working in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, he produced thousands of photographs as well as audio recordings, notes, and texts that culminated in the monumental publication The North American Indian (1907–1930). Curtis is especially admired for the striking beauty of his photogravures, platinum prints, and goldtones. Today, he remains one of the most recognized and influential figures in the history of American photography.
Condition
A condition report for this lot is available upon request (please include the lot number in your request) and is provided by Santa Fe Art Auction as a courtesy and convenience for potential buyers.
Edward S. Curtis
1868 - 1952
Typical Nez Percé, 1899
gold-toned printing-out-paper print (GTPOP)
signed and dated in the negative lower left: CURTIS / COPYRIGHTED / 1899 / 15
negative date: 1899
print date: ca. 1899
For a very short period beginning around 1898–99, Edward S. Curtis produced a small group of gold-toned printing-out-paper prints for exhibition and sale. Made by exposing delicate, light-sensitive paper beneath a negative, usually in sunlight, then processing and gold-toning it, these prints typically have a luster surface and rich reddish-brown tones, yielding fine details and delicate tonal gradations. Few survive, making them rare examples of Curtis’s early photographic artistry.
15 x 11 3/4 in. (38.1 x 29.8 cm.), overmat: 24 x 20 in. (61 x 50.8 cm.)
Private Collection, Aspen, Colorado
Literature:
The North American Indian (1907-1930), Portfolio 8, pl. 258
Native Nations, Bulfinch Press, 1993, p. 27
Sacred Legacy: Edward S. Curtis and the North American Indian, Simon & Schuster, 2000, p. 144
Edward S. Curtis: The Great Warriors, Bulfinch Press, 2004, pl. 53
The North American Indian Republication Custom Edition, Christopher Cardozo Fine Art, 2014, Portfolio Volume 2, pl. 258
Edward S. Curtis One Hundred Masterworks, Delmonico Books/Prestel Publishing, 2015, p. 146
The North American Indian Republication Reference Edition, Christopher Cardozo Fine Art, 2017, Portfolio Volume 2, pl. 258
The Nez Percé were a small and highly regarded tribal group who lived in the Plateau region of The West. Their leader, and Curtis' friend, was the renowned Chief Joseph. The Nez Percé brave in this rare print obviously possessed great strength and dignity. His gaze is intent and direct. His unshorn hair is worn loose except for the traditional "pompadour" on top. He wears a simple shirt with shell or bone buttons; a fourteen-strand shell bead ("heishi") necklace, with tiny brass bells in the outer strand, and a multi-color heishi choker. Overall, this is one of Curtis' most compelling and iconic portraits, in an extremely beautiful and rare process.
Edward S. Curtis was an American photographer, ethnographer, and publisher best known for his ambitious lifelong project documenting Indigenous peoples of North America. Working in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, he produced thousands of photographs as well as audio recordings, notes, and texts that culminated in the monumental publication The North American Indian (1907–1930). Curtis is especially admired for the striking beauty of his photogravures, platinum prints, and goldtones. Today, he remains one of the most recognized and influential figures in the history of American photography.
Condition
A condition report for this lot is available upon request (please include the lot number in your request) and is provided by Santa Fe Art Auction as a courtesy and convenience for potential buyers.
