E.S. Curtis Limited Edition Master Photo, 1904

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Summer Art Auction | Fine | Folk | Fun

By Artemis Gallery

Sep 2, 2021

Set Reminder 2021-09-02 12:00:00 2021-09-02 12:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Summer Art Auction | Fine | Folk | Fun https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/summer-art-auction-fine-folk-fun-7395
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• Lot Description
  Edward S. Curtis (American, 1868-1952). "Acoma Water Carriers" 1904. Stamped "Copyright 1904 / By E.S. Curtis" and numbered (2/7 or 7/7) on lower left. A vintage, limited edition, master print photograph, by Edward Curtis, with Curtis' copyright stamp and number of edition on the lower left. In this piece - entitled "Acoma Water Carriers" - Curtis captures a group of Acoma women carrying pottery vessels in the breathtaking New Mexican terrain. This piece was part of Edward Curtis' epic 20 volume project to document Native Americans threatened by Westward expansion in the United States entitled "The North American Indian" (1907-1930) - a masterwork that experts have estimated would cost more than $35 million to create today. An outstanding limited edition fiber based print that is handsomely brown/sepia/selenium toned and set in a museum-quality custom matte and frame that is embellished with an attractive burl wood veneer. Size of photograph: 12.25" L x 15.625" W (31.1 cm x 39.7 cm) Size of frame: 25.875" L x 28.625" W (65.7 cm x 72.7 cm)
  
  To learn more about Curtis' impressive undertaking, please read Gilbert King's article in Smithsonian Magazine. It opens as follows, with King brilliantly capturing Curtis' urgency and steadfast work ethic to document the indigenous peoples before expansion would potentially eclipse their cultures, "Year after year, he packed his camera and supplies—everything he’d need for months—and traveled by foot and by horse deep into the Indian territories. At the beginning of the 20th century, Edward S. Curtis worked in the belief that he was in a desperate race against time to document, with film, sound and scholarship, the North American Indian before white expansion and the federal government destroyed what remained of their natives’ way of life. For thirty years, with the backing of men like J. Pierpont Morgan and former president Theodore Roosevelt, but at great expense to his family life and his health, Curtis lived among dozens of native tribes, devoting his life to his calling until he produced a definitive and unparalleled work, The North American Indian. The New York Herald hailed as 'the most ambitious enterprise in publishing since the production of the King James Bible.'" ("Edward Curtis’ Epic Project to Photograph Native Americans" by Gilbert King - Smithsonian Magazine March 21, 2012)
  
  While Curtis has had his critics who have claimed that he romanticized the natives' existence, others have argued that he was ahead of his time and depicted them with dignity and respect. In her book entitled, "Shadow Catcher: The Life and Work of Edward S. Curtis" (Bison Books, 2005) Laurie Lawlor wrote, "When judged by the standards of his time, Curtis was far ahead of his contemporaries in sensitivity, tolerance and openness to Native American cultures and ways of thinking. He sought to observe and understand by going directly into the field."
  
  Provenance: ex-William and Jane Frazer, Aspen, Colorado, USA, acquired July 1, 1994; ; ex Footloose and Fancy Things, Aspen, Colorado, USA
  
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  A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
  
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  Display stands not described as included/custom in the item description are for photography purposes only and will not be included with the item upon shipping.
  
  #166665

  Condition

  Photograph has not been examined outside the frame but appears to be in excellent condition. Stamped "Copyright 1904 / By E.S. Curtis" and numbered below (2/7 or 7/7 - partially covered by the matte) on lower left. Framing is custom and museum quality. Wired for suspension and ready to display.
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