Inupiaq, King Island (Ugiuvak), Alaska
1928
Photogravure on Dutch Van Gelder paper
Image 11 7/16" x 15 5/16" (29.1 x 38.9 cm); sheet 17 15/16" x 21 7/8" (45.6 x 55.6 cm)
Provenance: Private collection, Tucson, AZ
Edward S. Curtis produced his Alaskan work during one of the most geographically demanding phases of his career, traveling to King Island, known to its Inupiaq inhabitants as Ugiuvak, a community perched on stilts against a near-vertical cliff face rising from the Bering Sea some 80 miles southwest of Nome. Named portraits of King Island subjects are among the least common of Curtis's Alaskan images, reflecting both the remoteness of the location and the limited number of sittings he was able to complete there. This portrait of Qunaninru represents a documented individual within a community celebrated throughout the Arctic for exceptional seamanship and mastery of ivory carving.
The photogravure is printed on Dutch Van Gelder paper, the premium support used by Curtis for his highest-quality print editions, with the rich tonal range characteristic of the gravure process at its finest. The image scale at over 11 by 15 inches gives the portrait a commanding presence, the subject rendered with the directness and dignity that distinguishes Curtis's named individual portraits from his more generalized cultural studies. Provenance traces to a private collection in Tucson, Arizona.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
Inupiaq, King Island (Ugiuvak), Alaska
1928
Photogravure on Dutch Van Gelder paper
Image 11 7/16" x 15 5/16" (29.1 x 38.9 cm); sheet 17 15/16" x 21 7/8" (45.6 x 55.6 cm)
Provenance: Private collection, Tucson, AZ
Edward S. Curtis produced his Alaskan work during one of the most geographically demanding phases of his career, traveling to King Island, known to its Inupiaq inhabitants as Ugiuvak, a community perched on stilts against a near-vertical cliff face rising from the Bering Sea some 80 miles southwest of Nome. Named portraits of King Island subjects are among the least common of Curtis's Alaskan images, reflecting both the remoteness of the location and the limited number of sittings he was able to complete there. This portrait of Qunaninru represents a documented individual within a community celebrated throughout the Arctic for exceptional seamanship and mastery of ivory carving.
The photogravure is printed on Dutch Van Gelder paper, the premium support used by Curtis for his highest-quality print editions, with the rich tonal range characteristic of the gravure process at its finest. The image scale at over 11 by 15 inches gives the portrait a commanding presence, the subject rendered with the directness and dignity that distinguishes Curtis's named individual portraits from his more generalized cultural studies. Provenance traces to a private collection in Tucson, Arizona.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
