Edward Sheriff Curtis, Vanishing Race -- Navajo

Edward Sheriff Curtis
(American, 1868-1952)
Vanishing Race — Navajo, circa 1904
platinum print
signed lower right and numbered 378-04 lower left, held in original mahogany-veneered frame
14 3/4" x 20 9/16"

Provenance:
Flury & Company, Seattle, Washington
The Collection of Rich and Patty Thumann, Tacoma, Washington

Literature:
This print was later published as a photogravure in: Curtis, Edward Sheriff, The North American Indian, The University Press, 1907-1930, supplement, v. 1, pl. 1.

Catalog Note:
Curtis created a body of platinum prints, comprising less than half of one percent of his extant body of work, which vary in size from approximately 4" x 5" to 24" x 32" inches. Platinum prints larger than 12" x 16" are scarce. Varying paper weights and surfaces were used.

Curtis captured over 40,000 images from over 80 tribes. In addition to photographs, Curtis produced ten thousand wax cylinder recordings of Native American languages and captured the first film footage of American Indians.

In total, The North American Indian project included over 2,200 of CurtisÂ’s photographs and thousands of pages of anthropological research, organized into twenty volumes accompanied by bound portfolios of oversize gravures. This project spanned over 25 years wouldnÂ’t have been possible without the financial support and encouragement of influential figures such as Theodore Roosevelt, J.P. Morgan, and members of European royalty.

The complete contents of The North American Indian originally published by Edward S. Curtis between 1907-1930 can be found at http://curtis.library.northwestern.edu/aboutsite.html
Condition Report: Frame: 22 1/8" x 28 1/8" glass
Not examined out of frame. Overall good condition.

Biography:
In 1868, Edward Sheriff Curtis was born on a farm near Whitewater, Wisconsin. After working at a photography studio in St. Paul, Minnesota, Curtis moved to Seattle, Washington, where he soon married Clara Phillips. With a newly purchased camera, Curtis bought into a local studio. Edward and Clara had the first of four children in 1893 and lived above the thriving studio. Generally, Curtis photographed upper-class women in a flattering style. However, in 1895, Curtis took pictures of Princess Angeline, daughter of Chief Sealth of the Duwamish tribe. Three years later at Mount Rainer, Curtis met anthropologist George Bird Grinnell, who hired Curtis to photograph the Harriman Alaska Expedition of 1899. On this trip, Curtis was introduced to both powerful scenery and Eskimos. Grinnell then invited Curtis to Montana to photograph the Piegan tribe. This inspired Curtis to make documenting Native Americans and their customs his singular goal. Curtis first exhibited his photography in Seattle and then lectured nationally. President Theodore Roosevelt admired Curtis’ work and J.P. Morgan became Curtis’ primary patron in 1906. For 25 sets of 500-print volumes, Morgan paid Curtis $75,000 over five years. Curtis took an extensive wagon tour of the American West with researchers and interpreters. En route, he photographed leaders like Geronimo, Medicine Crow, and Chief Joseph. Curtis and his team also made wax recordings of native speech and songs. Most tribes trusted Curtis and he was named “Shadow Catcher” for his high-contrast, golden-hued orotones. Upon Morgan’s death in 1913, Curtis’ funding dwindled, affecting his photography and family. Clara filed for divorce in 1916 and won the Curtis Studio and home in the settlement. Curtis worked briefly in Hollywood, directing a film on Native Americans and serving as a cameraman for The Ten Commandments. In the 1920s, Curtis revisited various tribes and observed their dramatic cultural erosion. By 1930, Curtis issued the final volume of The North American Indian, his epic collection of over 40,000 photographs. Yet the original sets only garnered $1,000 plus partial royalties. In 1952, Curtis died of a heart attack in Los Angeles at 84. His vast trove of photos now offers a window into a largely lost world. While some have criticized Curtis for staging certain scenes, the historical importance of his work is clear and, for his time, he was quite sensitive to and engaged with the plight of Native Americans.