National Anthropological Archives

John Andrew & Son photogravures of Edward S. Curtis portraits of Native Americans, circa 1908

Summary

Collection ID:
NAA.PhotoLot.84-8
Creators:
Curtis, Edward S., 1868-1952
Dates:
circa 1908
Languages:
Undetermined
.
Physical Description:
3 Prints
photogravure
Repository:

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
Photogravures made from Edward S. Curtis portraits of American Horse, Oglala; Hollow Horn Bear, Brule; and an Assiniboine/Gros Ventre man. Curtis copyrighted the original photographs in 1907 and 1908.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Edward Sheriff Curtis (1868-1952) was a professional photographer known for his images of Native Americans and of the American West. Born in Wisconsin, Curtis moved with his family to Cordova, Minnesota, shortly after his brother's birth in 1874. In 1887, Curtis moved again with his father to Seattle in the Washington Territory, where he built partnerships with several area photographers. Around 1895 Curtis began to photograph American Indians in the Seattle area. He joined the 1899 Harriman Expedition to Alaska as the expedition's official photographer and spent the summer of 1900 with George Bird Grinnell on a trip to document the Sun Dance on the Piegan Reservation in Montana. These experiences fueled Curtis' interest in American Indians and their culture and he set out to document every North American tribe before they "vanished." These photographs became the basis for his twenty volume "The North American Indian," a set of books which combined ethnographic descriptions and high-quality photogravures.

Administration

Author
Sarah Ganderup
Existence and Location of Copies
Digital surrogate for one print available online.
Custodial History
Part of the Margaret Mead estate, these prints were transferred to the National Anthropological Archives by the Library of Congress through the Smithsonian General Counsel's Office, 1981.

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research.
Access to the collection requires an appointment.
Conditions Governing Use
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Preferred Citation
Photo lot 84-8, John Andrew & Son photogravures of Edward S. Curtis portraits of Native Americans, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution

Location of Other Archival Materials

Location of Other Archival Materials
Additional Curtis photographs held in National Anthropological Archives in the Edward S. Curtis papers and photographs, Photo Lot 24, Photo Lot 59, Photo Lot 90-1, Photo Lot 96-17, and the BAE historical negatives.
The National Anthropological Archives also holds the Edward S. Curtis investigation of the Battle of Little Bighorn (MS 2000-18).
Curtis photographs also held in the National Museum of the American Indian Archives in the Edward S. Curtis photogravure plates and proofs for The North American Indian and Mary Harriman Rumsey collection of Harriman Alaska Expedition photographs.

More Information

Local Call Number(s)

Local Call Number(s)
NAA Photo Lot 84-8

Addl. KW Subj

Addl. KW Subj
Assiniboin; Assiniboine
Sioux


Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Indians of North America -- Great Plains Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sicangu Lakota (Brulé Sioux) Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Oglala Lakota (Oglala Sioux) Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Photogravures Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Photographs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
A'aninin (Gros Ventre) Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Assiniboine (Stoney) Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
American Horse, 1840-1908 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
John Andrew & Son Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

National Anthropological Archives
Museum Support Center
4210 Silver Hill Road
Suitland, Maryland 20746
naa@si.edu