THE
CURTIS BLOG

We post research, insights, and stories about Edward Curtis and The North American Indian, as well as perspectives on North American American and Indigenous life today.

Our blogs are written by Guest Writers, for more information on them please visit HERE. If you're interested in writing a post for our blog, please read our blog post guidelines for further information.

Curtis Colleagues: George Bird Grinnell

George Bird Grinnell stands out as a seminal figure who helped shape the concept behind The North American Indian.

Tim Greyhavens

Tronies: A Surprising Link Between Edward S. Curtis and the Art of Painting

Some of Curtis's portraits bear a resemblance to "tronies," which were 17th-century paintings by artists such as Rembrandt and Rubens.

Herman Cohen Stuart

Chief John Spotted Tail: "Legacy Returned" and The Tale of Two Families

Chief John Spotted Tail exudes strength and dignity, adorned in traditional regalia including a warrior shirt and headdress.

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South Dakota Sun Dance & Red Hawk Descendant

Meet Vanessa Red Hawk, descendant of Chief Red Hawk photographed by E.S. Curtis in "An Oasis In The Bad Lands."

Coleen Graybill

Curtis Colleagues: William E. Myers

A brief biography of William E. Myers (1877-1949), Curtis's primary assistant on The North American Indian project.

Tim Greyhavens

Three Take-Aways from the Recent Curtis Mega-Auctions

Our perspective on two huge auctions of Curtis prints, books, documents, and ephemera that took place at the end of June 2021.

Tim Greyhavens

Reprint Editions and Other Important Reproductions of The North American Indian

Some thirty years after the final volume of Edward Curtis's The North American Indian appeared, knowledge of and interest in Edward...

Janet Steins

A Brief History of Curtis Orotones, Part 2

This is the second in a two-part series about the Curtis orotones. For part 1, click here. The four main Curtis orotone frame styles: (clockwise from upper left: batwing, pie crust, ribbon, ranch. The orotones of Edward S. Curtis are eye-catching from every angle. In addition to the images' lustrous gold tones, these prints stand out in part because of their beautiful frames. Because of the coated glass plate's fragile surface, every orotone was sold in a handmade frame that

Tim Greyhavens