Edward Sheriff Curtis (American, 1868-1952), "The Vanishing Race", 1904, vintage orotone photograph, signed in the negative, 11" x 14". Presented in the original studio frame. The passing of every old man or woman means the passing of some tradition, some knowledge of sacred rites possessed by no other...EDWARD SHERIFF CURTIS. Recognized today for his images of Native American life, Edward Curtis was an ethnological writer and photographer, intent on documenting cultures he feared would soon be extinct. His twenty-volume series, The North American Indian, funded by financier J. P. Morgan, took nearly twenty-five years to complete. Almost exhaustive in scope, it included over 1,500 images and a collection of essays culled from the information contained in the countless wax cylinder recordings Curtis made during his travels and interviews. The series is available online in its entirety via Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois (http://curtis.library.northwestern.edu/). The image presented here, "The Vanishing Race", is one of his most well-known images, and stands as a testament to Curtis' intentions when he embarked on his life-long project: to create a visual recording of an endangered culture, people, and way of life.

In overall very good condition. There are three tiny losses to the gold emulsion backing that perforate the negative. Gold backing retains fingerprint smudges, probably Curtis'. The frame is intact with a few scattered nicks and scratches. See additional photograph of the orotone unframed.