Edward Curtis: Photogravures from 'The North American Indian'

May 12 through June 28, 2009 and

September 2 through October 11, 2009

Twenty photogravures from Colgate’s Special Collections Library are featured in Edward Curtis: Photogravures from ‘The North American Indian.’ The photos demonstrate the range of tribes and geographical areas that Edward S. Curtis (1868-1952) studied for The North American Indian, 20 volumes and portfolios of photographs and writings that he published between 1907 and 1930. Curtis hoped “to form a comprehensive and permanent record of all the important tribes of the United States and Alaska that still retain to a considerable degree their … customs and habits.” His work has often been criticized, however, for romanticizing and re-staging the past. In conjunction with this exhibition, Coming to Light, an award winning movie by Anne Makepeace that features Native American responses to Curtis’ photographs, is continuously screened in the gallery.
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