“A MOKI CHIEF - 1900”
A Moki Chief, 1900
“I like a man who attempts the impossible.” —J.P. Morgan THE IMPORTANCE OF “A MOKI CHIEF” (MEATOR) GOLDTONE PRINTING-OUT PAPER PRINT 1. An Overview. This is undoubtedly the rarest vintage Curtis photograph that Christopher Cardozo has encountered in his forty years of collecting. It has all the indicia of a masterwork. The image is compelling, the print quality is superb, the overall print condition is excellent, and it is printed in an extremely rare medium. It is printed in the very desirable 16” x 12” size. The Curtis signature is very rare, crisp and clear. In addition, it has extraordinary provenance, exhibition and publication histories, and is virtually unique in that it is still in its original exhibition frame, with period exhibition documentation. It is also extremely important historically. This print has been in Christopher Cardozo’s personal collection for over a decade. Before that it was in the private collection of a prominent American family, active in philanthropy and the arts. Of the thousands of vintage Curtis photographs Christopher Cardozo has collected or has viewed, this is among the three most valuable and important. 2. Compelling Image. Of Curtis’ 40-50,000 images, this is widely considered to be one of his six or eight most compelling portraits and it has been sought after by collectors since it was created in 1900. This was clearly one of Curtis’ favorite and most popular images. It was used to illustrate Curtis’ lectures and periodicals of the day. More significantly, less than 1% of Curtis’ images were created in more than one print medium for exhibition or sale. Fewer than one in four-thousand were created in three or four print mediums. “A Moki Chief” was created in photogravure, platinum print, toned silver print, and goldtoned printing-out paper print. The classic, simplified composition and strong lighting complement and enhance this powerful portrait of a Hopi Chief. 3. Exhibition and Publication History. This image (also titled “A Walpi Man”) has been included in numerous contemporary monographs on Curtis. More importantly, it is the cover image for the internationally heralded book Sacred Legacy: Edward S. Curtis and the North American Indian (Simon & Schuster, 2000) and was also included in the award winning Curtis monograph Native Nations: First Americans as Seen by Edward Curtis (Bulfinch Press, 1993). Vintage prints of this image have been included in nearly every major Curtis exhibit of the past four decades. The image has been exhibited in over 100 museums and galleries in over 40 countries, on six continents. A platinum print of this image was exhibited in two major museum exhibitions in Paris, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, England, Sweden, and Germany in 2000-2005. Most importantly, this specific print was exhibited in the San Francisco Photographic Salon Exhibition of 1902. This is one
of only three Curtis photographs that Christopher Cardozo has seen in his forty-year career that are still in their original exhibition frames and have their original exhibition documentation. 4. Rarity. The goldtoned printing-out paper print (“GTPOP”) is Curtis’ rarest print medium and was used only during the 1899-1901 period. It was a process that was largely abandoned by 1880 and Curtis would have had to go to some significant trouble to master this medium. It is believed that fewer than 25-30 examples of Curtis prints exist in this medium. In three of the greatest Curtis masterprint collections (the J.P. Morgan Collection, The Peabody Essex Collection and the Rainier Club) no examples of this rare medium exist. Christopher Cardozo has seen only eighteen examples of this rare medium, and only three in the past decade. 5. Beauty of the Print Medium. The GTPOP’s are extremely desirable because of the beauty and uniqueness of the process. This process yields prints of unrivaled clarity and resolution and the goldtoning process yields a beautiful, warm, deep sepia that is both rich and unmistakable. Exhibition quality GTPOP’s are not only extremely rare in Curtis’ work but also in the entire history of the photographic medium. 6. Historical Importance. This is one of Curtis’ historically most important images. It was made during his first self-financed trip into the field in the summer of 1900. This was a critical experience for Curtis and solidified his decision to embark on his thirty-year epic odyssey. This is also one of his most important images from his work with the Hopi, a tribal group that is extremely important in his whole body of work. Curtis spent more time with them and made more important photographs with the Hopi than any other tribe. He was the first Caucasian inducted in the Sacred Snake Dance priesthood and he visited and revisited the Hopi for over two decades. His work with the Hopi is a cornerstone of his entire North American Indian project. 7. Print Quality and Condition. The print quality is exceptional. The print is tack sharp and the tonality is rich and warm. The contrast is subtle and nuanced. This print is open with a full tonal range. The print has a strong object presence. This print is overall in very good to excellent condition. It is on its original mount, which has protected the normally fragile paper. It is in unusually good condition for a Curtis GTPOP but does have some very minor flaws, typical of most prints of this era. 8. A Personal Note. I believe that extraordinary art is often imbued with a spiritual quality. Native American Shamans believe that many of Curtis’ portraits are imbued with the spiritual essence of their subjects. In my opinion, this is one of the most powerful examples of that. Many viewers experience strong emotional and/or physical responses when viewing this image, particularly in vintage print form, as have I for over three decades.
Extremely rare and early copyright notice and signature.
Partial original exhibition label (originally affixed to the verso of the frame)
Original exhibition label (originally affixed to the verso of the frame)
Information affixed to verso of the frame.
A Moki Chief, 1900
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles… The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena…who does actually strive to do the deeds…and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.” —President Theodore Roosevelt
“A MOKI CHIEF” PLATINUM PRINT TITLE: “A Moki Chief” (a.k.a. “A Walpi Man”) ARTIST: Edward S. Curtis MEDIUM: Vintage Goldtone Printing-Out Paper Print SIZE: 14 1/16” x 11 1/2” NEGATIVE DATE: 1900 PRINT DATE: circa 1900 PROVENANCE: From the artist;
to E.G. Merwin c. 1902; to Private Collection c. 1990; to Christopher Cardozo Collection 2001 CONDITION: Overall very good to excellent condition.
A Moki Chief, 1900 (Shown in frame)
“It’s such a big dream, I can’t see it all.” —Edward S. Curtis
Curtis Self-Portrait, 1899