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Edward CurtisAmerican photographer
Date of Birth: 16.02.1868
Country:  USA |
Content:
- Edward Curtis: Renowned Photographer of the American West
- Photographic Apprenticeship and Partnership
- Marriage and Family
- "The North American Indian" Project
- Divorce and Negatives Destruction
- Film and Later Career
- Financial Struggles and Imprisonment
Edward Curtis: Renowned Photographer of the American West
Early Life and InfluencesEdward Curtis was born in Whitewater, Wisconsin, in 1868. His father was a minister and a Civil War veteran, while his mother's parents had emigrated from England. The family moved to Minnesota in 1874, where Curtis constructed his own camera. In 1880, they relocated to Cordova, Minnesota, where Curtis' father worked as a produce dealer.
Photographic Apprenticeship and Partnership
At the age of 17 in 1885, Curtis became an apprentice photographer in St. Paul, Minnesota. Two years later, the family moved to Seattle, where Curtis purchased a new camera and became a partner in Rasmus Rothi's photography studio for $150. However, Curtis left Rothi after about six months and formed a partnership with Thomas Guptill.
Marriage and Family
In 1892, Edward Curtis married Clara J. Phillips, a Pennsylvania native of Canadian descent. The couple had four children: Harold, Elizabeth, Florence, and Katherine.
"The North American Indian" Project
In 1906, John Pierpont Morgan commissioned Curtis to create a series of portraits of Native American tribes. The ambitious project aimed to document approximately 80 tribes and produce a 20-volume edition consisting of 1,500 photographs. Curtis recorded over 40,000 images, made audio recordings on wax cylinders, and collected legends and traditions. His work became an invaluable source of information on pre-20th century Native American culture.
Divorce and Negatives Destruction
Clara Curtis filed for divorce in 1916, which was granted in 1919. As part of her settlement, Clara received Curtis' photography studio and all of his glass negatives. In response, Curtis destroyed them to prevent them from falling into his ex-wife's possession. Clara continued to operate Curtis' studio with her sister, Milly Phillips.
Film and Later Career
Around 1922, Curtis moved to Los Angeles with his daughter Beth and established a new photography studio. To supplement his income, he worked as an assistant cameraman for Cecil B. DeMille's 1923 film, "The Ten Commandments." In 1924, he sold the rights to his ethnographic film, "In the Land of the Head Hunters," for $1,500, significantly less than the cost of its production.
Financial Struggles and Imprisonment
In 1927, Curtis was arrested for failing to pay $4,500 in back alimony. After a brief imprisonment, the debt was reduced. In 1928, he sold the rights to his "The North American Indian" project to J.P. Morgan Jr. and published the final volume of the series in 1930. Edward Curtis passed away in 1952, leaving behind a legacy as a pioneer in American photography and an unrivaled chronicler of Native American culture.
