Edward Sheriff Curtis was born in 1868 in Whitewater, Wisconsin. When his family moved to Washington in 1887, his adeptness in photography led him to an investigation of the Native Americans along the waterfront. A portrait of Chief Seattle's daughter won him the highest award in a photography contest.
Having had experience with Native Americans, Curtis was able to partake in several other expeditions, one of which took him to Montana in 1889. It was on this trip that he witnessed the sacred Sundance of the Piegan and Blackfoot tribes. Traveling on horseback, he emerged from the mountains to the sight of a valley floor covered with over a thousand teepees. This moment changed his life forever. It was as if something just clicked, and he knew what he was supposed to do with his life.
He spent the next 30 years on a monumental project of documenting over 80 tribes west of the Mississippi. When he was finally finished, he published it in 20 volumes under the title The North American Indian. While by the time he was taking his photographs, many of the old ways and customs were a thing of the past; his pictures nevertheless seem to reflect an attempt to revive earlier, lost customs.
This was fascinating. I had seen his photos before, but not known his history. I love your doing this "column" every week!
ReplyDelete