Edward S. Curtis "Island of the Dead - Wishham" Original Photogravure, 1909

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An original photogravure from Edward S. Curtis's The North American Indian. Island of the Dead - Wishham shows a rocky … Read more An original photogravure from Edward S. Curtis's The North American Indian. Island of the Dead - Wishham shows a rocky island with steep, layered walls and a flat top rising from the broad, calm Columbia River, two small buildings and a line of posts standing along its upper ridge. Indian people along this stretch of the Columbia laid their dead to rest on islands in the river, and Curtis's title names this one the Island of the Dead. The Wishram, which Curtis spelled Wishham, lived on the north bank of the Columbia near The Dalles. Curtis made the photograph in 1909, and it was published in 1911 in Volume 8, which covers the Nez Perce, Wallawalla, Umatilla, Cayuse and the Chinookan tribes.

From Volume 8, facing page 98. Printed on Holland Van Gelder, one of the three papers used for the original subscriber sets. Titled in the plate lower left (ISLAND OF THE DEAD - WISHHAM), with "From Copyright Photograph 1909 by E.S. Curtis" in the plate below the image. The plate mark shows around the image.

Image: 5 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 is 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