VintageSeattle.org

If you’re a student of portrait photography then you probably know very well who Edward Curtis is. And if you’re not a photography nerd like my ilk, then you’re in for a treat. Edward S. Curtis was a Seattle-based photographer who in 1906 was offered a grant from J.P. Morgan to compile a series of photos of Native Americans and their culture. He wrote: “The information that is to be gathered … respecting the mode of life of one of the great races of mankind, must be collected at once or the opportunity will be lost.” During Curtis’ lifetime, over 40,000 photographs were taken and 20 volumes of the collection released. Let’s start the first installment of a series on this work. Click on the thumbnails for high-res copies.

Mowakiu, a Tsawatenok Indian, bust portrait, facing front, circa 1914. Image courtesy Edward S. Curtis Collection — Library of Congress.	Quilcene boy, circa 1913. Image courtesy Edward S. Curtis Collection — Library of Congress.
Chukchansi woman, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing front, circa 1924. Image courtesy Edward S. Curtis Collection — Library of Congress.	Cheyenne male, facing front, hair in wrapped braids, blanket around shoulders, circa 1910. Image courtesy Edward S. Curtis Collection — Library of Congress.
Navajo girl, circa 1904. Image courtesy Edward S. Curtis Collection — Library of Congress.	Hupa woman, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing left, circa 1923. Image courtesy Edward S. Curtis Collection — Library of Congress.
The seal-hunter, Noatak, in kayak, facing left, circa 1929. Image courtesy Edward S. Curtis Collection — Library of Congress.	Hupa fisherman with spear lying on bank. Circa 1923. Image courtesy Edward S. Curtis Collection — Library of Congress.

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