Edward S. Curtis (1868-1952)
View Artist Biography
Title:
Plate 001 The Vanishing Race - Navaho
Date:
1904
Size:
Portfolio, 18 x 22 inches
Medium:
Vintage Photogravure
This image was captured in 1907, 1/3 of the way through the 1897 – 1927 project. No other photogravure makes this significant statement. When one understands the expansive nature of Edward Sheriff Curtis’ study and his focus on the character of the people, the evocative nature of this very image is felt as a story, not just another “snapshot” of Indians on horseback.
The importance of his documentation are the portraits from North American Indian life that capture the individual people groups, their character and their culture. “Vanishing Race” makes the statement for all.
“The thought, which this picture is meant to convey, is that the Indians as a race, already shorn in their tribal strength and stripped of their primitive dress, are passing into the darkness of an unknown future. Feeling that the picture expresses so much of the thought that inspired the entire work, the author has chosen it as the first of the series.” – Edward Curtis
The importance of his documentation are the portraits from North American Indian life that capture the individual people groups, their character and their culture. “Vanishing Race” makes the statement for all.
“The thought, which this picture is meant to convey, is that the Indians as a race, already shorn in their tribal strength and stripped of their primitive dress, are passing into the darkness of an unknown future. Feeling that the picture expresses so much of the thought that inspired the entire work, the author has chosen it as the first of the series.” – Edward Curtis