Edward S. Curtis Above the Medicine Line is both an introduction to the Seattle-based photographer and a tribute to a true visionary. While Curtis's photographs will long be his legacy, his own story is likewise compelling. Curtis built his first camera at 12 and developed that interest into a large Seattle photo studio by the age of 30. Then, on an expedition to Alaska in 1899, Curtis was exposed to First Nations cultures in a way that affected him profoundly. First Nations people had been decimated due to the diseases and aggression of white settlers. Curtis, alarmed that their traditional ways of life were in danger of disappearing forever, made an incredible effort to capture their daily routines, character and dignity through photography and audio recordings. Curtis had planned to document only the First Peoples of the United States and Alaska, but his exposure to Canada's Blackfoot Nation spurred him to include all of North America. The visual result was The North American Indian, a 20-volume record of 75 of North America's Native peoples. This collection of Curtis's images includes 100 of his most striking images and a biography.
Record details
ISBN:1894974867 (pbk.)
ISBN:9781894974868 (pbk.) :
ISBN:9781926613772 (bound) :
Physical Description:print 191 p. : ill., map, ports. ; 24 cm.
Publisher:[Surrey, B.C.] : Heritage House, c2010.
Content descriptions
Bibliography, etc. Note:
Includes bibliographical references (p. 186) and index.
Formatted Contents Note:
Planting the seeds: The early years - The defining years - A grand vision - The calling - Summons of a President -- The journey begins: The proposition - In the beginning - The first five volumes - Volumes 6 to 8 - The Kutenai - The quest goes on -- The tribes of British Columbia's coast: The Coast Salish - The Kwakiutl - The winter dance - In the land of the head hunters - The Nootka - The Haida -- North to Alberta: The dark years - The Indians of Alberta - The Chipewayan - The Western Woods Cree - The Northern Assiniboin (Stoneys) - The Blackfoot confederacy - The Sarsi -- Denouement: The final volumes - The after years - A rich legacy - The art and the artist.
Book
