In search of a lost era

At the beginning of the 20th century, the American photographer Edward Sheriff Curtis (1868-1952) traveled throughout North America, seeking to capture in words and images the traditional life of its disappearing indigenous inhabitants.

by Katerina Romanou

For 30 years he recorded, in words and images, the traces of the traditional Indian way of life that had already begun to disappear, using an approach that was both artistically and scientifically ambitious. With tireless personal devotion Curtis visited 80 American Indian tribes from the Mexican border to the Bering Strait, winning their trust with his patience and sensitivity. The result of this search was the creation of a monumental study, which included twenty portfolios and twenty volumes of text, with over 2,000 illustrations, and was printed between 1907 and 1930 as The North American Indian, but only in 272 copies, the originals became extremely rare . Today this pristine, hardcover edition of “The North American Indian. The Complete Portfolios”, is published by Taschen, including the entire Curtis’ work  in one volume.

Photos Courtesy of Taschen