EDWARD CURTIS: ONE HUNDRED MASTERWORKS

Page 1


Edward S. Curtis one hundred masterworks christopher cardozo with contributions by

a. d. coleman, louise erdrich, eric j. jolly, and michael charles tobias

delmonico books • prestel munich london new york

foundation for the exhibition of photography minneapolis paris lausanne


Edward S. Curtis one hundred masterworks christopher cardozo with contributions by

a. d. coleman, louise erdrich, eric j. jolly, and michael charles tobias

delmonico books • prestel munich london new york

foundation for the exhibition of photography minneapolis paris lausanne


contents foreword 6 introduction

the artistry of edward s. curtis christopher cardozo 7

a path of beauty, heart, and spirit christopher cardozo 11

a broad and luminous picture: the photographic works of edward s. curtis a. d. coleman 29

plates 37

curtis and pictorialism christopher cardozo 47

a collective act of stewardship eric j. jolly 79

intensity of regard louise erdrich 115

curtis and america’s environmental social justice movement michael charles tobias 141

a guide to the photographs christopher cardozo 157

chronology 171

acknowledgments 181

notes on the contributors 183


contents foreword 6 introduction

the artistry of edward s. curtis christopher cardozo 7

a path of beauty, heart, and spirit christopher cardozo 11

a broad and luminous picture: the photographic works of edward s. curtis a. d. coleman 29

plates 37

curtis and pictorialism christopher cardozo 47

a collective act of stewardship eric j. jolly 79

intensity of regard louise erdrich 115

curtis and america’s environmental social justice movement michael charles tobias 141

a guide to the photographs christopher cardozo 157

chronology 171

acknowledgments 181

notes on the contributors 183


a path of beauty, heart, and spirit christopher cardozo The mind works with words, the body works with muscles, the soul works with images. —thomas moore

There are many paths to enlightenment, Be sure to choose one with heart. —lao tsu

Edward S. Curtis was a true renaissance man and an extraordinary, although often unrecognized, American hero. He achieved what many thought impossible, and the images, scholarly text, film footage, and sound recordings he created during his thirty-five-year odyssey have touched viewers and readers throughout the world. Curtis created one of the most enduring and iconic visual records in the history of the photographic medium, a record that has helped inform our vision of who we are for over a century. Today, he is one of our most widely collected and exhibited fine-art photographers, and more than one thousand books, reviews, and articles have been written about him and/or illustrated by his photographs. Above all, he was a man of great passions, resilience, and heart who dedicated his adult life to educating and inspiring an entire nation about the heart and soul of its indigenous peoples. Curtis’ work changed the way our nation viewed Native Americans and generated a broad-ranging dialogue for greater compassion, understanding, and inclusion. For more than a century, his images have moved and inspired diverse audiences, transcending economic, cultural, social, educational, and national boundaries. He accomplished this at a time when Native Americans were commonly viewed with disdain or hatred and some individuals were still actively advocating for the extinction of all Native peoples on the North American continent. Curtis was a visionary, an award-winning artist, a consummate craftsman, an intrepid entrepreneur, a technical innovator, a respected ethnographer, a superbly accomplished publisher, and a groundbreaking filmmaker. He was a Witness, a multiculturalist, an adventurer, a gifted communicator, a mountaineer and outdoorsman, a multimedia artist, a skilled leader, and an early environmentalist. Yet most people only know Curtis as a photographer, and then, only from a relatively small number of images that are commonly reproduced in books or magazines. Few people outside of academia are aware that he wrote thousands of pages of scholarly, ethnographic text; produced extensive film footage; and made approximately 10,000 wax cylinder recordings of Native language and music. Thus, when viewing Curtis’ compelling images of Native Americans, it is important to keep them in context: they comprise only one component of a much larger whole. Equally important is the fact that the vast majority of his most enduring photographs were created with a profoundly different intention and frame of reference than the scholarly text and the ethnographic film and sound recordings. Many of the photographs that are typically reproduced, by contrast, were made not as visual ethnography but fig. 1

Edward S. Curtis, Untitled (Indian Brave Profile)—Tribe Unknown, 1905/ca. 1905 platinum print, 16 x 11 inches

11


a path of beauty, heart, and spirit christopher cardozo The mind works with words, the body works with muscles, the soul works with images. —thomas moore

There are many paths to enlightenment, Be sure to choose one with heart. —lao tsu

Edward S. Curtis was a true renaissance man and an extraordinary, although often unrecognized, American hero. He achieved what many thought impossible, and the images, scholarly text, film footage, and sound recordings he created during his thirty-five-year odyssey have touched viewers and readers throughout the world. Curtis created one of the most enduring and iconic visual records in the history of the photographic medium, a record that has helped inform our vision of who we are for over a century. Today, he is one of our most widely collected and exhibited fine-art photographers, and more than one thousand books, reviews, and articles have been written about him and/or illustrated by his photographs. Above all, he was a man of great passions, resilience, and heart who dedicated his adult life to educating and inspiring an entire nation about the heart and soul of its indigenous peoples. Curtis’ work changed the way our nation viewed Native Americans and generated a broad-ranging dialogue for greater compassion, understanding, and inclusion. For more than a century, his images have moved and inspired diverse audiences, transcending economic, cultural, social, educational, and national boundaries. He accomplished this at a time when Native Americans were commonly viewed with disdain or hatred and some individuals were still actively advocating for the extinction of all Native peoples on the North American continent. Curtis was a visionary, an award-winning artist, a consummate craftsman, an intrepid entrepreneur, a technical innovator, a respected ethnographer, a superbly accomplished publisher, and a groundbreaking filmmaker. He was a Witness, a multiculturalist, an adventurer, a gifted communicator, a mountaineer and outdoorsman, a multimedia artist, a skilled leader, and an early environmentalist. Yet most people only know Curtis as a photographer, and then, only from a relatively small number of images that are commonly reproduced in books or magazines. Few people outside of academia are aware that he wrote thousands of pages of scholarly, ethnographic text; produced extensive film footage; and made approximately 10,000 wax cylinder recordings of Native language and music. Thus, when viewing Curtis’ compelling images of Native Americans, it is important to keep them in context: they comprise only one component of a much larger whole. Equally important is the fact that the vast majority of his most enduring photographs were created with a profoundly different intention and frame of reference than the scholarly text and the ethnographic film and sound recordings. Many of the photographs that are typically reproduced, by contrast, were made not as visual ethnography but fig. 1

Edward S. Curtis, Untitled (Indian Brave Profile)—Tribe Unknown, 1905/ca. 1905 platinum print, 16 x 11 inches

11


fig. 14

Edward S. Curtis, The Potter (Nampeyo)—Hopi, 1906/ca. 1906 vintage goldtone, 10 x 8 inches

fig. 12

Edward S. Curtis, A Zuñi Governor, 1900/ca. 1903 gelatin silver print, 15¾ x 11 inches

fig. 11 Edward S. Curtis, Hopi Woman, 1904/ca. 1904

fig. 16

untoned gelatin silver print, 16¼ x 12¼ inches

Edward S. Curtis, Hopi Man, 1904/ca. 1904

hand-colored platinum print, 16⅜ x 13 inches

fig. 13

Edward S. Curtis, Red Owl—Salish, 1910 cyanotype, 6½ x 6 inches fig. 15

Edward S. Curtis, Acoma Man, 1904/ca. 1907 platinum print, 15¼ x 11¾ inches

20

21


fig. 14

Edward S. Curtis, The Potter (Nampeyo)—Hopi, 1906/ca. 1906 vintage goldtone, 10 x 8 inches

fig. 12

Edward S. Curtis, A Zuñi Governor, 1900/ca. 1903 gelatin silver print, 15¾ x 11 inches

fig. 11 Edward S. Curtis, Hopi Woman, 1904/ca. 1904

fig. 16

untoned gelatin silver print, 16¼ x 12¼ inches

Edward S. Curtis, Hopi Man, 1904/ca. 1904

hand-colored platinum print, 16⅜ x 13 inches

fig. 13

Edward S. Curtis, Red Owl—Salish, 1910 cyanotype, 6½ x 6 inches fig. 15

Edward S. Curtis, Acoma Man, 1904/ca. 1907 platinum print, 15¼ x 11¾ inches

20

21


The great changes in practically every phase of the Indian’s life that have taken place, especially within recent years, have been such that had the time for collecting much of the material, both descriptive and illustrative, herein recorded, been delayed, it would have been lost forever. The passing of every old man or woman means the passing of some tradition, some knowledge of sacred rites possessed by no other; consequently the information that is to be gathered, for the benefit of future generations, respecting the mode of life of one of the great races of mankind, must be collected at once or the opportunity will be lost for all time. —edward s. curtis

plate 1

Geronimo—Apache, 1905/ca. 1905

platinum print, 15⅞ x 11¾ inches

39


The great changes in practically every phase of the Indian’s life that have taken place, especially within recent years, have been such that had the time for collecting much of the material, both descriptive and illustrative, herein recorded, been delayed, it would have been lost forever. The passing of every old man or woman means the passing of some tradition, some knowledge of sacred rites possessed by no other; consequently the information that is to be gathered, for the benefit of future generations, respecting the mode of life of one of the great races of mankind, must be collected at once or the opportunity will be lost for all time. —edward s. curtis

plate 1

Geronimo—Apache, 1905/ca. 1905

platinum print, 15⅞ x 11¾ inches

39


plate 13

A Walpi Man, 1900/1903

plate 14

Qahatika Girl, 1907

platinum print, 15  ∕16 x 10½ inches

photogravure, 16 x 12 inches

54

55

3


plate 13

A Walpi Man, 1900/1903

plate 14

Qahatika Girl, 1907

platinum print, 15  ∕16 x 10½ inches

photogravure, 16 x 12 inches

54

55

3


plate 41

Untitled (Variant of “Hupa Salmon Fisherman”), ca. 1923

plate 42

Untitled (Navajo Riders), 1904/ca. 1904

hand-colored gelatin silver print, 13½ x 10½ inches

hand-colored gelatin silver print, 14¾ x 12 inches

86

87


plate 41

Untitled (Variant of “Hupa Salmon Fisherman”), ca. 1923

plate 42

Untitled (Navajo Riders), 1904/ca. 1904

hand-colored gelatin silver print, 13½ x 10½ inches

hand-colored gelatin silver print, 14¾ x 12 inches

86

87


plate 92

Typical Nez Perce, 1899/ca. 1899

plate 93

Bear’s Belly—Arikara, ca. 1908/1908

gold-toned printing-out paper, 15⅝ x 12 inches

photogravure, 16 x 12 inches

146

147


plate 92

Typical Nez Perce, 1899/ca. 1899

plate 93

Bear’s Belly—Arikara, ca. 1908/1908

gold-toned printing-out paper, 15⅝ x 12 inches

photogravure, 16 x 12 inches

146

147


a

b

fig. 26

Original photogravure copper plate of Bear’s Belly—Arikara (plate 93) image courtesy of sotheby’s photography department, new york

Originally, the photogravures made for The North American Indian were available only as part of complete sets. During the past thirty years, Curtis’ vintage photogravures have often come onto the market individually from broken sets or as prints that were never integrated into sets. Of the 2,000-plus images from The North American Indian, perhaps 400 to 600 were also printed as master prints in platinum, silver, and other photographic mediums.

master prints The term master print as used here refers to those non-photogravure prints made by Curtis, or his studio, for exhibition or sale. Although relatively few were made, these master prints were usually produced with fine, expensive, and often demanding materials. The best examples have great subtlety and delicacy. They are typically signed and/or blindstamped (debossed with the Curtis copyright information). Because of the expense and effort required to make them, Curtis generally created master prints of only those images he thought were his most evocative and compelling, and the best examples are often quite extraordinary. Many of his master prints (as well as some photogravures) incorporate Curtis’ negative numbers, which were written on the negative itself. Negatives were numbered sequentially each year and the negative number would be followed by c

d fig. 25

a dash and then a two-digit number for the year the negative was created. There is a great deal of variation

Two Bear Woman—Piegan, negative 1900, in four different photographic processes:

(a) gold-toned printing-out paper, ca. 1900, 15 x 12 inches; (b) hand-colored platinum print, ca. 1900, 14 x 11 inches; (c) photogravure, ca. 1911, 16 x 12 inches; (d) platinum print, ca. 1900, 15½ x 12¼ inches

158

159


a

b

fig. 26

Original photogravure copper plate of Bear’s Belly—Arikara (plate 93) image courtesy of sotheby’s photography department, new york

Originally, the photogravures made for The North American Indian were available only as part of complete sets. During the past thirty years, Curtis’ vintage photogravures have often come onto the market individually from broken sets or as prints that were never integrated into sets. Of the 2,000-plus images from The North American Indian, perhaps 400 to 600 were also printed as master prints in platinum, silver, and other photographic mediums.

master prints The term master print as used here refers to those non-photogravure prints made by Curtis, or his studio, for exhibition or sale. Although relatively few were made, these master prints were usually produced with fine, expensive, and often demanding materials. The best examples have great subtlety and delicacy. They are typically signed and/or blindstamped (debossed with the Curtis copyright information). Because of the expense and effort required to make them, Curtis generally created master prints of only those images he thought were his most evocative and compelling, and the best examples are often quite extraordinary. Many of his master prints (as well as some photogravures) incorporate Curtis’ negative numbers, which were written on the negative itself. Negatives were numbered sequentially each year and the negative number would be followed by c

d fig. 25

a dash and then a two-digit number for the year the negative was created. There is a great deal of variation

Two Bear Woman—Piegan, negative 1900, in four different photographic processes:

(a) gold-toned printing-out paper, ca. 1900, 15 x 12 inches; (b) hand-colored platinum print, ca. 1900, 14 x 11 inches; (c) photogravure, ca. 1911, 16 x 12 inches; (d) platinum print, ca. 1900, 15½ x 12¼ inches

158

159


Curtis’ wife Clara files for divorce. In the settlement, she receives the studio and all the negatives. While the exact circumstances are not known, it is likely that Curtis, or his daughter Beth, provided Clara with duplicate or copy negatives in many cases.

1919 Curtis and his daughter Beth move to Los Angeles and open a new Curtis Studio (fig. 45). By 1924, the studio is located in the Biltmore Hotel, with Beth serving as president. Curtis does portrait work in the studio and works in Hollywood as a still photographer and movie camera operator. He continues his fieldwork, traveling to the Hopi reservation, where he encounters tremendous changes wrought by Baptist and other churches that have banned the photographing of traditional ceremonies.

1922 fig. 44

Unidentified photographer, [Curtis filming the Kwakiutl (Qágyuhl) in British Columbia, most likely for In the Land of the Head Hunters], ca. 1912–14 toned gelatin silver print, 1 3∕16 x 2½ inches

Work on The North American Indian is fully revived, and Curtis travels to Northern California to collect materials for Volumes XIII and XIV. Meanwhile, in the winter, Volume XII is published after a six-year hiatus caused by a lack of funds.

After five years, only eight of the planned twenty volumes of The North American Indian have been completed.

1912 To raise money for The North American Indian, Curtis establishes a film company through which he intends to produce documentaries about Native life in the West. He invests heavily in the first film, In the Land of the Head Hunters, about Kwakiutl culture (fig. 44). Curtis recruits Native actors for the production. It is the first feature-length film to be made about Native Americans. When Adolph Muhr dies in November, his assistant Ella McBride and Curtis’ daughter Beth assume responsibility for operating the Seattle studio.

1913 J. P. Morgan dies, but his family continues funding The North American Indian under the direction of his son Junius.

1914 In the Land of the Head Hunters premieres at the Casino Theatre in New York City. It is a critical success but a commercial failure.

1915 Curtis signs a year-long contract with Frank Leslie’s Magazine to supply images of the “beauty spots of America.”

1916 Eleven volumes of The North American Indian have been published. Curtis suspends publication altogether as the U.S. enters World War I and interest in the project wanes. The project will be dormant for several years.

176

fig. 45

Curtis Studio, [Edward S. Curtis and his daughter Beth], 1920

gelatin silver print, image: 3¼ x 2 9∕16 inches, mount: 6 13∕16 x 4 7∕16 inches

177


Curtis’ wife Clara files for divorce. In the settlement, she receives the studio and all the negatives. While the exact circumstances are not known, it is likely that Curtis, or his daughter Beth, provided Clara with duplicate or copy negatives in many cases.

1919 Curtis and his daughter Beth move to Los Angeles and open a new Curtis Studio (fig. 45). By 1924, the studio is located in the Biltmore Hotel, with Beth serving as president. Curtis does portrait work in the studio and works in Hollywood as a still photographer and movie camera operator. He continues his fieldwork, traveling to the Hopi reservation, where he encounters tremendous changes wrought by Baptist and other churches that have banned the photographing of traditional ceremonies.

1922 fig. 44

Unidentified photographer, [Curtis filming the Kwakiutl (Qágyuhl) in British Columbia, most likely for In the Land of the Head Hunters], ca. 1912–14 toned gelatin silver print, 1 3∕16 x 2½ inches

Work on The North American Indian is fully revived, and Curtis travels to Northern California to collect materials for Volumes XIII and XIV. Meanwhile, in the winter, Volume XII is published after a six-year hiatus caused by a lack of funds.

After five years, only eight of the planned twenty volumes of The North American Indian have been completed.

1912 To raise money for The North American Indian, Curtis establishes a film company through which he intends to produce documentaries about Native life in the West. He invests heavily in the first film, In the Land of the Head Hunters, about Kwakiutl culture (fig. 44). Curtis recruits Native actors for the production. It is the first feature-length film to be made about Native Americans. When Adolph Muhr dies in November, his assistant Ella McBride and Curtis’ daughter Beth assume responsibility for operating the Seattle studio.

1913 J. P. Morgan dies, but his family continues funding The North American Indian under the direction of his son Junius.

1914 In the Land of the Head Hunters premieres at the Casino Theatre in New York City. It is a critical success but a commercial failure.

1915 Curtis signs a year-long contract with Frank Leslie’s Magazine to supply images of the “beauty spots of America.”

1916 Eleven volumes of The North American Indian have been published. Curtis suspends publication altogether as the U.S. enters World War I and interest in the project wanes. The project will be dormant for several years.

176

fig. 45

Curtis Studio, [Edward S. Curtis and his daughter Beth], 1920

gelatin silver print, image: 3¼ x 2 9∕16 inches, mount: 6 13∕16 x 4 7∕16 inches

177


This book was published on the occasion of the exhibition Edward S. Curtis: One Hundred Masterworks organized by the Foundation for the Exhibition of Photography. Exhibition itinerary: Taft Museum of Art, Cincinnati June 12–September 20, 2015

Figge Art Museum, Davenport, Iowa October 10, 2015–January 17, 2016

Glenbow Museum, Calgary, Alberta June 18–September 18, 2016

Antiguo Colegio de San Ildefonso, Mexico City Fall 2017

Published in 2015 by DelMonico Books • Prestel in association with the Foundation for the Exhibition of Photography (FEP). DelMonico Books, an imprint of Prestel, a member of Verlagsgruppe Random House GmbH Prestel Verlag Neumarkter Strasse 28 81673 Munich tel: +49 89 4136 0 fax: +49 89 4136 2335

Prestel Publishing Ltd. 14-17 Wells Street London W1T 3PD tel: +44 20 7323 5004 fax: +44 20 7323 0271

Prestel Publishing 900 Broadway, Suite 603 New York, NY 10003 tel: +1 212 995 2720 fax: +1 212 995 2733

www.prestel.com; e-mail: sales@prestel-usa.com Foundation for the Exhibition of Photography 5028 Washburn Avenue South Minneapolis, MN 55410 www.fep-photo.org © 2015 Prestel Verlag, Munich • New York • London “The Artistry of Edward S. Curtis,” “A Path of Beauty, Heart, and Spirit,” “Curtis and Pictorialism,” and “A Guide to the Photographs” © 2015 Christopher G. Cardozo “A Broad and Luminous Picture: The Photographic Works of Edward S. Curtis” © 2015 A. D. Coleman. All rights reserved. By permission of the author and Image/World Syndication Services, imageworld@nearbycafe.com “A Collective Act of Stewardship” © 2015 Eric J. Jolly “Intensity of Regard,” adapted from an essay originally published in Edward S. Curtis: The Women (Boston: Bulfinch, 2005) “Curtis and America’s Environmental Social Justice Movement” © 2015 Michael Charles Tobias All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any other information storage and retrieval system, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. page 2: Edward S. Curtis, Untitled (Two Hopi Girls in Window), 1900/ca. 1900. Platinum print, 15½ x 11¾ inches page 4: Edward S. Curtis, The Rush Gatherer—Kutenai, 1910. Photogravure, 12 x 16 inches Unless otherwise noted, all photographs courtesy of the Christopher G. Cardozo Collection. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Curtis, Edward S., 1868–1952. Edward S. Curtis : one hundred masterworks / Christopher Cardozo ; with contributions by A. D. Coleman, Louise Erdrich, Eric J. Jolly, and Michael Charles Tobias. pages cm isbn 978-7913-5421-7 (hardcover) isbn 978-3-7913-6580-0 (paperback) 1. Curtis, Edward S., 1868–1952. 2. Indians of North America—History—Pictorial works. 3. Indians of North America—Portraits. 4. Photographers—United States—Biography. 5. Photography in ethnology. I. Cardozo, Christopher, compiler, author. II. Title. III. Title: One hundred masterworks. e77.5.c75 2015 770.92—dc23 [B] 2014049053

Edited by Philomena Mariani Designed by Katy Homans Production management by Karen Farquhar Editorial coordination by Ryan Newbanks Separations by Robert J. Hennessey Printed on 150gsm GardaPat Klassica Printing and binding by Graphicom, Verona, Italy



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