One of the walls of my home is adorned with art and photographs of native North Americans. These works include a series of photographs by the late great Edward S. Curtis.
Edward S. Curtis 1868-1952. Photo Credit
Who was Edward S. Curtis?
Edward S. Curtis was born in Wisconsin USA in 1868 and in 1885, at the age of 17 he became an apprentice photographer. His fascination with the indigenous people of North America began in 1895 when he met and photographed the aged Princess Angeline (Kickisomlo) who was the daughter of Chief Sealth of Seattle.
Princess Angeline. Photo Credit
In 1889 Curtis was appointed as the official photographer of the Harriman Alaska Expedition. As a result of his photographic work on this expedition he was invited on an expedition to photograph members of the Blackfoot Confederacy in Montana in 1900.
In 1906, J.P. Morgan hired Curtis, paying him $75,000 to produce a series of photographs of Native Americans. This project, which lasted more than 20 years, resulted in over 40,000 photographs of over 80 tribes.
During this period of time he and other members of his team also made more than 10,000 wax cylinder recordings of native languages, recorded tribal stories and history and described their housing, clothing, food, customs and ceremonies!
The work of Edward S. Curtis sells for record prices today but he died as an almost unknown photographer! Why does that happen so often!
If you'd like to see more of Edward S. Curtis's photography you can find many images on line by doing a simple search.
Here is a 10 Minute Video About Curtis From "The Economist"
Here is a Link Where You Can See a Short Video Explaining The Smithsonian Institute's Recent Acquisition of Hundreds of His Very Rare Negatives
If you are a fan of monochrome photography and especially portraits, you may enjoy exploring the work of Edward S. Curtis.
In the meantime don't hesitate to make a post for Monochrome Monday which is the brainchild of 
What About You?
- Do you enjoy monochrome photography?
- Do you enter posts in the various photography categories here on Steemit?
- Do you like looking at old photographs?
I hope that you enjoyed this short article about the "The Great Edward S. Curtis"!
Until next time,
