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Edward S. Curtis

(White Water, Wisconsin, 1868 - 1952, Los Angeles, California)

The Middle Columbia

1910

Photogravure

22 x 18 in. (55.9 x 45.7 cm)

Collection of the Akron Art Museum

Gift of Nancy and Robert F. Meyerson

1992.44 gg

More Information

These images are from Curtis's massive publication “documenting” the lives of Native Americans. In reality, Curtis posed his subjects and often gave them historical clothing or props to use. Sébah, Emerson and Curtis blended two nineteenth-century traditions: romanticism and ethnographic photography. Seeking to give expression to cultures that were almost extinct or were totally foreign to their viewers, the photographers created staged scenes that ultimately reflected a stereotypical rather than a realistic view.

Keywords
Boulder
Fishing
American Indian
River
Photography
Landscapes
American
Rocks
Native American
Documentary
Modern Art