Edward Sheriff Curtis (1868–1952) dedicated his entire life to a project all his own, to use a camera to preserve the cultural heritage of the indigenous peoples of North America. For three decades, he traveled in every region of the continent, through every kind of terrain and weather, via land or water, in the 50°C heat of the Mojave Desert or the -20°C chill of the Arctic; moving on foot, by horse, wagon, donkey, boat or train, or later by automobile. More than 40,000 photos were produced during those years.
During his lifetime, the finest of these photographs entitled The North American Indian, were presented in twenty elaborate, large-scale portfolios with which Curtis raised a monument to commemorate the disappearing culture of North America’s indigenous peoples and to bring it fully back to life. In addition, the book holds a selection of photographs from the text volumes.
Without Edward S. Curtis we would hardly know a thing about the rites of the Hopi in America’s southwest, nor be able to picture the Qagyuhl winter dancers, or have any idea of the ceremonies on Nunivak Island. The basic humanistic message that shines from his pictures is highly relevant, namely peaceful coexistence in which you can overcome hatred and prejudice if you are always willing, on meeting a stranger, to seek some idea in common.
The Photographer
For over thirty years, photographer Edward Sheriff Curtis (1868-1952) traveled the length and breadth of North America, seeking to record in words and images the traditional life of its vanishing indigenous inhabitants. Like a man possessed, he strove to realize his life’s work, which culminated in the publication of his encyclopedic work The North American Indian. In the end, this monumental work comprised twenty portfolios and twenty text volumes with over 2,000 illustrations.
The Author
Peter Walther has edited various publications on literary, photographic, and contemporary historical themes, including books on Goethe, Fontane, Thomas Mann, Hans Fallada, and writers in the First World War, as well as several illustrated books with historical color photographs. He is the author of the TASCHEN publications The First World War in Colour (2014), New Deal Photography. USA 1935–1943 (2016) and Anna Atkins. Cyanotypes (2023).
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