Edward S. Curtis "Record of Custodians of a Turtle-Drum - Mandan" Photogravure, 1908

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An original photogravure from Edward S. Curtis's The North American Indian. Record of Custodians of a Turtle-Drum - Mandan reproduces … Read more An original photogravure from Edward S. Curtis's The North American Indian. Record of Custodians of a Turtle-Drum - Mandan reproduces a Mandan pictographic record: rows of drawn symbols set out across a pale ground, with a ruled line near the bottom. As the title says, it records the keepers of a turtle drum. The Mandan turtle drums were buffalo-hide drums made in the shape of a turtle and treated as sacred objects in the Okipa ceremony. Curtis made the photograph in 1908, and it was published in 1909 in Volume 5, which covers the Mandan, the Arikara and the Atsina.

From Volume 5. Printed on Japanese gampi tissue, one of the three papers used for the original subscriber sets, and still in its original Holland Van Gelder mount. The thin, smooth tissue holds the fine detail of the gravure and gives it a warm tone. Titled in the plate lower left (RECORD OF CUSTODIANS OF A TURTLE-DRUM - MANDAN*), with "From Copyright Photograph 1908 by E.S. Curtis" in the plate below the image.

Image: 3 1/2 x 7 3/8 inches. Sheet: 9 1/2 x 12 1/2 inches.

Provenance: the Christopher G. Cardozo Collection. The collection's inventory number and the title are written in pencil on the verso.

A vintage impression from the original publication, not a later restrike. Sold unframed, ready to mat and frame. See less