ABOUT THIS COLLECTION  
This collection contains images not published in Curtis's 20-volume “The North American Indian.” In the early 1900s, Curtis was commissioned to produce a photographic series on Native Americans of the United States and Canada by financier J.P. Morgan. Over the next 20 years he took over 40,000 photographs of members of over 80 different tribes. One of those he visited was the Kwakwaka’wakw peoples, a group of Native Canadians who live along the Pacific Northwest near and on Vancouver Island. They are known for their artwork, especially carved wood, such as totem poles and transformation masks, which are carved and painted wooden likenesses of animals, some of which are represented here, along with ceremonial dress. These art forms continue to play a major role in both everyday life and in ceremonial affairs of the  Kwakwaka’wakw, most notably in the Hamatsa Dance and in the Potlatch, a gift-giving feast to mark important events.
 
COLLECTION DETAILS
Series title: The North American Indian
Series size: 8 artworks
Edition: Limited edition of 1000
Proof of Ownership: Certification on the Ethereum blockchain under the ERC1155 protocol. Each artwork is delivered privately and directly to collectors as non-fungible tokens (NFTs) that guarrante proof of ownership.
Format: Pieces consist of PNG files sized 2160x3840 pixels - 150 dpi.
Medium: Photography
Artwork materials:  Photographic paper
Contract Address: 0x495f947276749ce646f68ac8c248420045cb7b5e
ID: 2749212597480566...
 
ABOUT THE ARTIST
The iconic photographs by Edward S. Curtis are some of the most familiar and enduring images of Native Americans ever created. Curtis produced photographs of Native Americans in several genres, including figures in landscapes, ethnographic scenes and staged tableaux. However, he is best known for his iconic portraits, in which sitters are identified by tribe and posed in traditional regalia in a style that has been described as “ethnographic romanticism.” Curtis worked carefully with his models to stage an image of a past that he thought was disappearing. The Native Americans came to trust him and ultimately named him “Shadow Catcher,” but Curtis would later note that, given his grueling travel and work, he should have been known as “The Man Who Never Took Time to Play.”
 
COLLECTION CREDITS
Historical curatorship: HARI - Historical Art Research Institute (HARI Editions)
Artwork: Edward Curtis
Year of original publication: 1907 - 1930
Post-production: HARI - Historical Art Research Institute (HARI Editions)
Digital art supervisor: Marie-Lou Desmeules
Editorial: Braden Phillips
Historical research: Evangelos Rosios, Braden Phillips
Executive production: Victor Zabrockis
 
RIGHTS OVERVIEW
Source of artwork: Library of Congress
Underlying work rights: PD U.S.
Digital copyrights: No Additional Rights