Edward S. Curtis "Mandan Earthen Lodge" Original Photogravure on Tissue, 1908

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Description

An original photogravure from Edward S. Curtis's The North American Indian. Mandan Earthen Lodge shows a domed earth lodge on … Read more An original photogravure from Edward S. Curtis's The North American Indian. Mandan Earthen Lodge shows a domed earth lodge on the open prairie, its sod roof rising to a frame of bent poles over the smoke hole. A covered entry of upright posts leads in at the front, with a fence of poles running off to either side and a round wicker frame leaning against the entry. The Mandan lived in villages of these lodges along the Missouri River in present-day North Dakota, building them over a heavy timber frame covered with willow branches, grass and sod. 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 4. 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 (MANDAN EARTHEN LODGE), with "From Copyright Photograph 1908 by E.S. Curtis" in the plate below 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 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