Lot 253
Edward Sheriff Curtis (American, 1868-1952). "In the Shadow of the Cliff" photogravure, copyright 1905. Titled with copyright date and artist's name at lower left and center of plate. From "The North American Indian" (1907-1930), volume 3 (1908), facing page 4. A dramatic early photogravure by Edward Sheriff Curtis, capturing riders dwarfed by immense canyon walls, the towering cliffs rendered in velvety sepia tones. The composition emphasizes both the grandeur of the natural landscape and the relative fragility of human presence within it, a theme that pervades Curtis's monumental project documenting Indigenous peoples and their environments in the early twentieth century. This image was printed as part of Curtis's "The North American Indian (1907-1930)," a twenty-volume magnum opus produced with the backing of financier J.P. Morgan. Size of photo: 7.5" W x 6" H (19 cm x 15.2 cm); of frame: 19" W x 15" H (48.3 cm x 38.1 cm)
The series combined ethnographic text with finely printed photogravures, intended to preserve a record of Native American cultures at a time when Curtis believed they faced irrevocable change. "In the Shadow of the Cliff" appears in Volume 3 (1908), underscoring Curtis's dual commitment to ethnography and artistry, as he fused documentary intent with a Pictorialist aesthetic.
To learn more about Curtis' impressive undertaking, please read Gilbert King's article in Smithsonian Magazine. It opens as follows, with King brilliantly capturing Curtis' urgency and steadfast work ethic to document the indigenous peoples before expansion would potentially eclipse their cultures, "Year after year, he packed his camera and supplies - everything he'd need for months - and traveled by foot and by horse deep into the Indian territories. At the beginning of the 20th century, Edward S. Curtis worked in the belief that he was in a desperate race against time to document, with film, sound and scholarship, the North American Indian before white expansion and the federal government destroyed what remained of their natives' way of life. For thirty years, with the backing of men like J. Pierpont Morgan and former president Theodore Roosevelt, but at great expense to his family life and his health, Curtis lived among dozens of native tribes, devoting his life to his calling until he produced a definitive and unparalleled work, The North American Indian. The New York Herald hailed as 'the most ambitious enterprise in publishing since the production of the King James Bible.'" ("Edward Curtis' Epic Project to Photograph Native Americans" by Gilbert King - Smithsonian Magazine March 21, 2012)
While Curtis has had his critics who have claimed that he romanticized the natives' existence, others have argued that he was ahead of his time and depicted them with dignity and respect. In her book entitled, "Shadow Catcher: The Life and Work of Edward S. Curtis" (Bison Books, 2005) Laurie Lawlor wrote, "When judged by the standards of his time, Curtis was far ahead of his contemporaries in sensitivity, tolerance and openness to Native American cultures and ways of thinking. He sought to observe and understand by going directly into the field."
Provenance: private Anahola, Hawaii, USA collection, acquired 1970s to 1990s; ex-80 Papers, 80 Thompson Street, New York, New York, USA
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#197940
- Condition: Mounted behind glass in custom matte and frame; Has not been examined outside of glass. Some minor discoloring to photo, but otherwise appears to be in excellent overall condition. Frame and matte in very good condition. Old gallery label on verso.
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