Edward S. Curtis

(AMERICAN, 1868 - 1952)

Edward Sheriff Curtis devoted his life to producing a definitive and unparalleled work, the North American Indian, the most extensive and expensive photographic project ever undertaken. Between 1900 and 1930, Curtis traveled by foot and horse deep into Indian territories, living among dozens of Native tribes. In 1906, J.P. Morgan provided Curtis with $75,000 to produce a series on Native Americans. This work was to be in 20 volumes with 1,500 photographs. He captured the authentic ways of life of over 80 Native cultures, producing over 40,000 glass plate negatives, 10,000 wax cylinder recordings, 4,000 pages of anthropological text, and a feature length film.