Edward S. Curtis – Shadow Catcher Exhibition

Edward S. Curtis – Shadow Catcher Exhibition
Exhibition Dates:
* August 7 – September 29

The Library of Congress website is a fascinating place to look through historic images. With it’s enormous photographic archive, one can spend countless hours on historic journeys traveling through the United States and worldwide.

Many now famous photographers, including Ansel Adams, Dorothea Lange, Walker Evans and Gordon Parks, have contributed to the Library of Congress.

Edward S. Curtis has over 2,400 images archived in the Library of Congress. In a tribute to one of America’s early pioneers of photography, Stuart has culled through hundreds of photographs to put together this small collection of images from Edward S. Curtis.

Edward S. Curtis left school in the sixth grade and shortly after built his own camera. Curtis began his photographic career in 1885 at age 17. In 1887, he moved to Seattle where he became a partner in a photography studio.

Soon after he began making portraits of Native Americans in the region. In 1906, J.P. Morgan provided Curtis with $75,000 to produce a series of photographs on Native Americans. Curtis’s goal was to document Native American life, pre-colonization.

Curtis wrote in the introduction to his first volume in 1907, “The information that is to be gathered … respecting the mode of life of one of the great races of mankind, must be collected at once or the opportunity will be lost.”

Curtis successfully captured over 40,000 photographic images of over 80 native tribes, as well as, over 10,000 wax cylinder recordings of Native American language and music.