His interest in Mount Ranier and the Seattle area led him to an interest photographing Indians. The contacts that grew out of these interests gave Curtis an introduction to eminent figures in anthropology and ethnology. While on a trip to photograph the Piegan sundance encampment in Montana in 1900, Curtis was told that he would never again see such a great encampment of Indians. Following on this experience, not only did Curtis spend thirty years in the field taking photographs, the finished product he created is a monumental work that documents the life, religions, and customs of Indians in the western third of the United States, British Columbia, and Alaska. The images are evocative, beautiful, and stunning and the information gathered was painstakingly crafted into twenty volumes of books with images and twenty volumes of larger plates.
Photogravures are an art form of the highest quality.
This exhibition draws upon books and images from the collections of the Dibner Library of the History of Science and Technology, Smithsonian Institution Libraries. This online exhibition looks back to the Smithsonian's founding in 1846. It outlines Smithsonian history from the time James Smithson drew up his will in 1826 through the first two administrations of the Smithsonian Institution, 1846-1887. Accounts of research efforts, museum collections, and publications under the first two Secretaries provide glimpses of early endeavors which set precedents for many Smithsonian activities today. Adapted from the Libraries' gallery show of the same name, this online exhibition is a collaborative effort of the Smithsonian Institution Libraries, the Office of Smithsonian Institution Archives, including the Joseph Henry Papers, and the Architectural History and Historic Preservation division.