Antique Prints, Maps, & Books of Natural History, Botanicals, & More
Lot 7443:
Description
Curtis’s description of the image:
For their feathers, which were used in many ways as ornaments and as fetishes, eagles were caught by a hunter concealed in a brush- covered pit. A rather elaborate ceremony took place over the bodies of the slain birds for the purpose of placating the eagle spirits. The Sarsi custom is described at some length in Volume XVIII, pages 95-99.
Description of the work:
This moving photogravure in folio size is from Edward Curtis’s
The North American Indian being a Series of Volumes Picturing and Describing the Indians of the United States and Alaska. Edited by Frederick Webb Hodge. Foreword by Theodore Roosevelt. Field Research conducted under the patronage of J. Pierpont Morgan. The work was published in 1928 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The photogravure is on Japanese vellum.
The photogravures depict Native Americans from the Chipewyan, Cree and Sarsi cultures. Curtis’s work was a remarkable record of native American life and one of the most ambitious anthropological studies done. W. H. Holmes, Chief of the Bureau of American Ethnology in 1910, stated that this "publication should last for a thousand years."
The North American Indian was referred to as “the most gigantic undertaking since the making of the King James Edition of the Bible” and containing “the most exquisite book art of our time.”
Edward Sheriff Curtis (1868-1952) was an American photographer and ultimately historian of the American West. He travelled extensively for three decades living with the Native American tribes. He immersed himself in their customs, languages and beliefs. He detailed and photographed the tribes creating a truly comprehensive look into their lives.
Paper Size: ~ 17 1/2" by 21 1/2"
Paper Type or Special Features: Photogravure
Condition report:
The work is in very good to excellent condition overall. There may be a few minor imperfections to be expected with age. Please review the image carefully for condition and contact us with any questions.
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