Edward S. Curtis "Packs Wolf as Númak-Máhana - Mandan" Photogravure on Tissue, 1908

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An original photogravure from Edward S. Curtis's The North American Indian. Packs Wolf as Númak-Máhana - Mandan is a close … Read more An original photogravure from Edward S. Curtis's The North American Indian. Packs Wolf as Númak-Máhana - Mandan is a close portrait of the Mandan man Packs Wolf, dressed as Númak-Máhana, the Lone Man of Mandan tradition. He wears a tall fur cap trimmed with feathers and a fur-collared robe, holds a feathered staff, and meets the camera with a steady gaze. In the Okipa ceremony, the man playing Lone Man directed parts of the rites. 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, facing page 34. 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 (PACKS WOLF AS NÚMAK-MÁHANA - MANDAN), with "From Copyright Photograph 1908 by E.S. Curtis" in the plate below the image.

Image: 7 1/2 x 5 3/8 inches. Sheet: 12 1/2 x 9 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