Lot 217
Edward S. Curtis
(1868 - 1952)
The North American Indian - Volume VI and
Portfolio
VI, 1911
Volume and portfolio on Japanese Gampi tissue etching stock
Featuring the Great Plains tribes of the Piegan, Cheyenne and Arapaho
Portfolio VI36 photogravures on Japanese Gampi tissue etching stock with original Van Gelder overmatssigned in plate below image: E. S. Curtis23 x 19 in. / prints 18 x 22 in.
Volume VI75 photogravures on Japanese Gampi tissue etching stock including 1 hand-colored prints12 1/2 x 9 1/2 in. / prints approx. 7 1/2 x 5 1/2 in.
The Portfolio and Volume VI offered here is a rare pairing from Edward Curtis' The North American Indian. Featuring the Great Plains tribes of the Piegan and Cheyenne, photographed between 1900 and 1911, the images found here can be considered some of Curtis' most important. In addition to Red Plume, Offering Pipe to the Earth, Piegan Encampment and Two Bear Woman, Curtis' most important single image, The Three Chiefs, can be found here. This photograph was made in the summer of 1900 and is the key image from that critical, watershed experience in Curtis' life. It was during this short field trip to Montana, during the Piegan Sun Dance Ceremony, with noted ethnographer George Bird Grinnell that Curtis first encountered Native Americans whose culture was still largely intact and who were also willing to share their religion, mythology, and personal lives with him. This brief experience ignited Curtis' passion to preserve a comprehensive record of Native American life. This two-week experience inalterably changed Curtis and his life was never the same again. It is said that in making this image of three tribal leaders in their traditional garb on a typical upland prairie that Curtis spent three days looking for the perfect combination of riders, sky, and prairie.
A Piegan Dandy, Plate 208Waiting in the Forest, Plate 218
Sacred Legacy: Edward S. Curtis and the North American Indian (176 print exhibit), 2000Edward S. Curtis: 100 Masterworks, 2016
Iron Breast, Plate 206Sacred Legacy: Edward S. Curtis and the North American Indian (176 print exhibit), 2000The Three Chiefs, Plate 209
Edward S. Curtis: 100 Masterworks, 2016
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Condition:
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Portfolio: This original Portfolio of prints is in excellent condition overall. The photogravures are rich and saturated, with luminous highlights and fine details, which the gampi etching stock is known for. The original Van Gelder overmats are crisp and bright. The tissue prints and Van Gelder overmats have been conserved. The prints have been backed, or lined, with another piece of gampi tissue paper. This has the effect of laterally stabilizing the print so that it is less susceptible to contraction and expansion from environmental conditions, which can cause condition issues with prints that are not backed. Most prints have minor to moderate, rippling, which is primarily visible in bright, raking light, and is somewhat typical for Curtis' photogravures on the Japanese gampi etching stock. Externally, the folio is in excellent condition overall. The covers, corners, and spine are excellent, with typical, minor, scattered nicks and scuffs to the leather and buckram, and minor wear at the corners. The silk ties are present and intact.
Volume: This original volume is in very good condition overall. Internally, the pages are crisp and bright overall. The photogravures are rich and saturated, with fine highlights and details, including one hand-colored plate. The "Bound by H. Blackwell" stamp is present at the upper left corner of the flyleaf. The original silk bookmark is present, but detached. There is a Moore Memorial Library book-plate on the inside cover. There are minor to pronounced interleave transfer marks in the margins of all image pages and facing pages. This is very typical of TNAI volumes with the Japanese gampi ‘tissue' etching stock, and does not affect the photogravures. Some of the deckled fore-edges show moderate darkening. Most of the photogravures show minor to moderate wrinkling at the print corners, with some having wrinkles in the image area, which are primarily visible in strong, raking light. Externally, the top-edge gilding is excellent, with a couple of scattered scuffs and nicks. The binding is strong and intact. The front cover, corners, and spine are very good, with minor, scattered nicks and scuffs to the leather and buckram, and minor wear at the corners.
Overall, these are very good examples of work from Curtis' seminal set, with exceptional provenance and beautifully rich plates.
The condition reports for the lots offered by Santa Fe Art Auction (SFAA) are provided as a courtesy and convenience for potential buyers. The reports are not intended to nor do they substitute for physical examination by a buyer or the buyer's advisors. The condition reports are prepared by SFAA staff members who are not art conservators or restorers, nor do they possess the qualifications needed for comprehensive evaluation. Each condition report is an opinion of the staff member and should not be treated as a statement of fact. The absence of a condition report does not imply anything as to the condition of a particular lot. Buyers are reminded that the limited warranties are set forth in the Terms and Conditions of Sale and do not extend to condition. Each lot is sold as-is.
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