Sites & Structures

Legendary for his massive photographic undertaking The North American Indian, Edward Sheriff Curtis (1868-1952) recorded much more than portraits of Native American tribespeople. Among his huge body of work are numerous images of all manner of native dwellings: tipis, hogans, huts, cliff houses, adobes, and many more that are far less familiar to the public eye. Though people are largely absent from these photographs, each image speaks volumes about the lives and lifestyles of the tribes to which they belonged. Other structures such as tombs, religious buildings, granaries, and totem poles are also featured prominently, further glimpses into ways of life that were in the process of disappearing. Taken from the Dan and Mary Solomon collection, Sites & Structures: The Architectural Photographs of Edward S. Curtis is the first book of Curtis photographs to explore these dwellings and structures, faithfully reproduced from the original prints and gravures. Curator and photography historian Rod Slemmons puts these photographs in context among Curtis's more familiar portraits and considers their anthropological and artistic importance. Reproduced in large, splendid tritones, Sites & Structures is one of the finest monographs of this American photographic master.