Details
Description
Among the most arresting portraits in the early volumes of The North American Indian, this photogravure presents an elderly Mojave …
Read more
Among the most arresting portraits in the early volumes of The North American Indian, this photogravure presents an elderly Mojave (Mohave) man, photographed in 1907 during Curtis's fieldwork along the lower Colorado River and published in Volume II, the installment covering the Pima, Papago, Mohave, Yuma, and neighboring peoples of the desert Southwest. Curtis filled the frame with the man's face: windblown hair, deeply cut lines, a level and unguarded gaze. It is a strikingly direct portrait for this early date, anticipating the tight close-up style Curtis made his signature in later years, and the gravure's dense umber blacks give it a presence well beyond its modest sheet size.
The Mojave are the Pipa Aha Macav, "the people by the river," whose communities farmed the Colorado River bottomlands where Arizona, Nevada, and California meet; their descendants continue today at Fort Mojave and the Colorado River Indian Tribes.
This impression is from the deluxe tissue edition of the original 1907-1930 publication: printed on translucent Japanese gampi tissue and mounted, as issued, to its Holland Van Gelder support leaf (chine-collé), per Cardozo Collection and Santa Fe Art Auction cataloging. The tissue issue was the most expensive format offered to original subscribers, priced at $3,750 per set against $3,000 for the standard papers, and Santa Fe Art Auction's own cataloging estimates that fewer than 15 subscriber sets were printed on tissue. This is not a 1970s-era restrike; restrikes were printed on modern papers such as Arches and Rives BFK.
Provenance is the strongest available in the Curtis market: the Christopher G. Cardozo Collection. Cardozo (1948-2021) was the foremost Curtis collector, dealer, and scholar of his generation, author of Sacred Legacy and numerous standard references. Volume notation in pencil on the verso, along with the collection's cataloging label recording the tissue paper.
A powerfully printed example of early Curtis portraiture in the rarest issue of the publication. Ready to mat and frame.
See less
- Dimensions
- 9.5ʺW × 0.01ʺD × 12.5ʺH
- Art Subjects
- Portrait
- Frame Type
- Unframed
- Period
- 1900 - 1909
- Country of Origin
- United States
- Item Type
- Vintage, Antique or Pre-owned
- Materials
- Paper
- Condition
- Good Condition, Original Condition Unaltered, Some Imperfections
- Color
- Tan
- Condition Notes
- Good vintage condition for a volume leaf. A deep, richly inked impression with strong blacks and a clear plate mark. … moreGood vintage condition for a volume leaf. A deep, richly inked impression with strong blacks and a clear plate mark. The tissue is well adhered to its Van Gelder support leaf as issued. A row of small binding holes with associated tiny edge nicks runs along the left sheet edge, evidence of the leaf's removal from a bound deluxe volume; these sit well away from the image and are fully covered by a standard mat. Light, even age tone to the sheet with minor handling marks in the margins. No tears into the image, no foxing, no repairs noted. Verso bears the Cardozo Collection inventory number "CCI 4911" and volume notation "V2" in pencil, disclosed for completeness. Housed in an archival sleeve. less
Questions about the item?
Returns & Cancellations
Return Policy - All sales are final 48 hours after delivery, unless otherwise specified in the description of the product.
Cancellation Policy - Prior to shipping or local pickup, buyers may cancel an order for up to 48 hours, unless otherwise specified.