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Flathead Warrior

Edward S. Curtis; John Andrew & Son, Boston

Artwork Details

Flathead Warrior
1910
Edward S. Curtis; John Andrew & Son, Boston
photogravure on paper
12 9/16 in x 9 1/2 in (31.91 cm x 24.13 cm);19 7/16 in x 14 3/8 in (49.37 cm x 36.51 cm)
Gift of Stephen M. Taylor
1997/1.152

Description

Subject Matter:

This image of Flathead man in warrior costume is from The North American Indian (1907 - 1930), a twenty-volume series created by Edward Curtis in order to document the lives of Native Americans in diverse regions of the Western United States. This limited edition volume was financially supported by J.P. Morgan, and promoted by Theodore Roosevelt. The resulting works have been criticized and celebrated for their portrayal of Native American life. Curtis often included anachronous props and clothing and presented rituals that had not been performed in years in order to support an idealized and romantic reading of a “vanishing race.”

Physical Description:

A portrait of a man in costume. He wears woven fabric with geometric designs, and holds a horn at his nose. The sleeves of his costume have feather tassles hanging from them, and he wears a feathered headdress, which is obscured as he tilts his head back.

Usage Rights:

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