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Lot 15
Edward S. Curtis(1868-1952)Zuni Governor
30 June – 1 July 2021, 16:00 PDT
Los AngelesSold for US$15,300 inc. premium
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Edward S. Curtis (1868-1952)
Zuni Governor, c. 1903
Orotone, completed later, accompanied by a bill of sale signed and dated '6/1/1983' by Manford Magnuson in ink.
10 x 8in (25.4 x 20.3cm); framed
Orotone, completed later, accompanied by a bill of sale signed and dated '6/1/1983' by Manford Magnuson in ink.
10 x 8in (25.4 x 20.3cm); framed
Footnotes
Literature
Edward S. Curtis: The North American Indian, the Complete Portfolios, Taschen, 1997, Vol. XVII, p. 662
Cardozo, Edward Curtis: One Hundred Masterworks, Delmonico Books/ Prestel, 2015, p. 20, fig. 12 and p. 124
Manford Magnuson's (Curtis's son-in-law's) 1983 bill of sale/ certificate of authenticity reads as follows:
"This is one of several unfinished Orotones brought down from Seattle in the early thirties. These Orotones were unframed and in individual envelopes. They were made in the Seattle studio in the late teens, however, the final process of adding bronze powder and banana oil was not done...
These plates and other studio material were shipped to the Los Angeles studio from the Seattle studio by Katherine (Billie) Curtis, following the death of her mother Clara Curtis in 1932. By that time, the depression was in full swing and there was little interest in Indian photographs. I had already removed the Indian display from the Los Angeles Curtis Studio in the Biltmore Hotel when the plates arrived from Seattle. I stored the entire Indian collection in the garage where it gathered dust until 1972. When the Curtis Indians became popular again I completed a few of these Orotones for my own collection."