Edward S. Curtis (1868–1952)
Circa 1906
Printed prospectus, original issue
Dimensions: Height 9½ in. (24.1 cm), width 6 in. (15.2 cm)
Provenance: Christopher Cardozo collection, Minneapolis
Edward Sheriff Curtis issued this prospectus to solicit subscribers for his monumental publishing project The North American Indian, which spanned 20 volumes of text and 20 accompanying portfolios of photogravures produced between 1907 and 1930. The work was available by subscription only, with the standard edition priced at $3,000 and a deluxe edition at $3,750, equivalent to roughly $75,000 and $100,000 in today's terms. Curtis intended to produce 500 sets but completed only 272, making the volumes themselves among the scarcest major publications in American collecting.
The prospectus, as the document that launched the subscription campaign, survives in considerably fewer copies than the volumes it promoted and is among the rarest printed artifacts associated with the project. Christopher Cardozo was the world's leading authority on Curtis, having devoted four decades to collecting, publishing, and exhibiting his work internationally. A prospectus from his personal holdings carries provenance of unusual depth within the Curtis collecting field.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
Edward S. Curtis (1868–1952)
Circa 1906
Printed prospectus, original issue
Dimensions: Height 9½ in. (24.1 cm), width 6 in. (15.2 cm)
Provenance: Christopher Cardozo collection, Minneapolis
Edward Sheriff Curtis issued this prospectus to solicit subscribers for his monumental publishing project The North American Indian, which spanned 20 volumes of text and 20 accompanying portfolios of photogravures produced between 1907 and 1930. The work was available by subscription only, with the standard edition priced at $3,000 and a deluxe edition at $3,750, equivalent to roughly $75,000 and $100,000 in today's terms. Curtis intended to produce 500 sets but completed only 272, making the volumes themselves among the scarcest major publications in American collecting.
The prospectus, as the document that launched the subscription campaign, survives in considerably fewer copies than the volumes it promoted and is among the rarest printed artifacts associated with the project. Christopher Cardozo was the world's leading authority on Curtis, having devoted four decades to collecting, publishing, and exhibiting his work internationally. A prospectus from his personal holdings carries provenance of unusual depth within the Curtis collecting field.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
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