Edward S. Curtis (1868–1952)
1928
Photogravure on Dutch Van Gelder paper
Image 11⁷⁄₁₆ x 15⁵⁄₁₆ in.; sheet 17¹¹⁄₁₆ x 21⁷⁄₈ in.
Provenance: Private collection, Tucson, AZ
This photogravure titled Reindeer, Nunivak was printed in 1928 on Dutch Van Gelder paper from the final volumes of Curtis's The North American Indian, documenting the reindeer herds introduced to Nunivak Island in the early twentieth century. Nunivak Island is a remote island in the Bering Sea off the western coast of Alaska, home to the Cup'ik people, a group related to but culturally distinct from the mainland Yup'ik. The introduction of reindeer herding to Nunivak in the early twentieth century represented a significant shift in traditional Cup'ik subsistence patterns, and Curtis's documentation of the herds gives this landscape image particular documentary resonance alongside the portrait and material culture subjects that dominate his work.
The image is unusual within the Curtis body of work for its landscape and animal subject matter, standing apart from the figurative plates that attract the broadest collector attention and making it a distinctive choice for collectors interested in the ecological and economic dimensions of early Alaska Native life. Dutch Van Gelder paper plates from the late Alaska volumes appear infrequently on the market. From a private collection in Tucson, Arizona.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
Edward S. Curtis (1868–1952)
1928
Photogravure on Dutch Van Gelder paper
Image 11⁷⁄₁₆ x 15⁵⁄₁₆ in.; sheet 17¹¹⁄₁₆ x 21⁷⁄₈ in.
Provenance: Private collection, Tucson, AZ
This photogravure titled Reindeer, Nunivak was printed in 1928 on Dutch Van Gelder paper from the final volumes of Curtis's The North American Indian, documenting the reindeer herds introduced to Nunivak Island in the early twentieth century. Nunivak Island is a remote island in the Bering Sea off the western coast of Alaska, home to the Cup'ik people, a group related to but culturally distinct from the mainland Yup'ik. The introduction of reindeer herding to Nunivak in the early twentieth century represented a significant shift in traditional Cup'ik subsistence patterns, and Curtis's documentation of the herds gives this landscape image particular documentary resonance alongside the portrait and material culture subjects that dominate his work.
The image is unusual within the Curtis body of work for its landscape and animal subject matter, standing apart from the figurative plates that attract the broadest collector attention and making it a distinctive choice for collectors interested in the ecological and economic dimensions of early Alaska Native life. Dutch Van Gelder paper plates from the late Alaska volumes appear infrequently on the market. From a private collection in Tucson, Arizona.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
