Native American Photographs - Edward S. Curtis
Popular for his prolific Native American Photographs at the turn of the 19th Century, Edward S.Curtis' notoriety had faded into obscurity by the end of his life in 1952. His resurrection to fame occurred after his death during the 1960's and 70's. He took more than 40,000 photographs, made over 10,000 recordings of native speech and music.... (Library of Congress) As a result most documentaries and text books chronicling the history of American Indians use some of Curtis' numerous Native American Photographs for illustrations. 
Photographic InspirationBorn in Wisconsin on February 16, 1868, his life long photographic inspiration began when his family of 5 (he had 2 brothers) moved to Port Orchard, Washington (near Seattle) in 1887.He began exploring the Paget Sound waterfront, along Seattle's coast. He observed and photographed native Americans and their customs as they dug for clams and mussels. Edward S. Curtis' first Native American photograph was the aged Princess Angelina, daughter of Sealth, chief of the Suquenush tribe for whom the city of Seattle was named.
A Chance Encounter. An Epiphany. An Inspired LifeQuite by accident he met Dr. George Bird Grinnell, editor of Field & Stream and originator of the Audubon Society, and Dr. Merriam, naturalist and physician, when he helped them (and other members of a government commission) find their way off Mt. Rainier.Almost directly as a result of this encounter he was selected as the official photographer for the two month 1899 scientific expedition to Alaska organized by Edward Harriman, railroad tycoon. The following year he followed Dr. Grinnell to northern Montana. There they observed and he photographed the sacred Sun Dance at an encampment of over a thousand teepees of Blackfoot and other tribes. "Everything fell into place at that moment: it was clear to him that he was to record, with pen and camera, the life of the North American Indian."Text Excerpt E.S. Curtis biography, Edward S. Curtis Gallery
The Curtis MissionEnergized by the sights he'd seen and the memorializing Native American photographs he had been privileged to take, Curtis felt compelled to document the American Indian tribes of the Western United States before their traditions and history were lost forever.He travelled to the East Coast to meet with members of the Bureau of American Ethnology of the Smithsonian. His ambition was set: to chronicle the customs, ceremonies and beliefs of what he firmly believed was a "vanishing race". Curtis began a quest he said was "to form a comprehensive and permanent record of all the important tribes of the United States and Alaska that still retain to a considerable degree their...customs and traditions." LINK HERE for numerous Native American Photographs by Curtis housed in the Library of Congress.
PRESIDENTIAL PORTRAIT - The Right Place At The Right TimeRiding on the popularity of his native American photographs, Curtis operated first his own darkroom and later his own studio in Seattle.President Theodore Roosevelt saw Edward's winning portrait of a young girl in Ladies Home Journal, and in 1904 invited him to create a portrait of the first family. Through that beginning Roosevelt and Curtis developed a friendship, and the President encouraged him to follow his dream of documenting the native American tribes of western North America.
J.P.Morgan - Collaborating on The North American IndianEdward Curtis Signature
In 1906 Curtis received $15,000, the first installment of a 5 year contract with Morgan which would total $75,000 in total. The 20 volume library would be the height of elegance with high quality photoengravings, a portfolio of enlarged images and Japanese vellum. Each set would sell for $3000. Despite a whirlwind tour of lectures to sell the agreed upon 500 sets, he fell short of that goal not only in number of sets sold, but his effort to complete the books extended far beyond the allotted 5 years. Only 272 complete sets were published, but they consisted of 2,222 plates...about more than eighty Native American tribes. (Library of Congress) It wasn't until 1922 that J.P. Morgan's son, Jack, provided the additional funds for the printing of the final books of The North American Indian with the exception of Volume 20. His daughter, Beth, financed his final trip to Alaska to research and photograph material for Volume 20 which was published in 1930.
Passion Poorly Paid
Curtis lifelong passion to tell the story of the North American Indian before that culture disappeared was rewarded with short term fame and little remuneration.Long before his final volume was published the public had lost interest in his project. His own studio as well as the funds of the Morgans had supported his project, but had left his family with little to live on. In 1916 his wife, Clara, filed for divorce and 3 years later was awarded all his remaining assets including his Seattle studio and his negatives. He worked as an occasional Hollywood cameraman for such films as The Ten Commandments, The Plainsman and King of Kings, and invested in mining in efforts to further finance The North American Indian, but he continued to get more deeply in debt. In the late 1940's he settled in California on the farm of his daughter, Beth, and her husband, Manford Magnuson. Edward Sheriff Curtis died of a heart attack on October 19,1952. The obituary barely mentioned his Native American photographs, but noted that he was an expert in Native American history. 
Portrait of Edward Sheriff Curtis, 1951
References: Flury & Co. Ltd, www.fluryco.com/curtis; Library of Congress; Edward S. Curtis Gallery, www.edwardscurtis.com/curtisbio.html; Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_S._Curtis While the information herein is believed to be accurate, it is not warranteed, and readers are encouraged to do their own verification.
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