Edward S. Curtis - The Vanishing Race - Goldtone

10.5" x 13.5" - Image
15" x 18" Frame

Edward S. Curtis (1868 - 1952)

The Vanishing Race - Navaho, 1904

Orotone on glass (Gold-tone)

Signed lower right: Curtis

Original sticker at lower right on frame verso. "The price of the Curt-tone The Curtis Studio"

“The Vanishing Race” was Curtis’ signature piece. It was the visual metaphor for the core conceptual underpinning of Curtis’ life’s work i.e., that Native Americans, as a culture, at least, were vanishing. It became Curtis’ over-arching life goal to create a record of Native Americans and their lifeways before they disappeared forever. Curtis searched for an image to illustrate this idea for nearly four years before creating “The Vanishing Race”. A century ago, it was by far and away Curtis’ most popular single image. Today it still remains a highly sought after and classic. With few exceptions, Curtis printed gold-tones in four sizes, ranging from 8 x 10 to 18 x 22 inches, although those larger than 11 x 14 are extremely rare.