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Lot 165
THE GRAYBILL PROJECT: COPY PRINTS AND COPY NEGATIVES FROM THE ORIGINAL CURTIS NEGATIVES. A collection of approximately 500 8 x 10 inch copy negatives made from both original glass negatives and cellulose negatives, together with approximately 2,232 8 x 10 inch copy prints,
30 June – 1 July 2021, 16:00 PDT
Los AngelesSold for US$22,812.50 inc. premium
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THE GRAYBILL PROJECT: COPY PRINTS AND COPY NEGATIVES FROM THE ORIGINAL CURTIS NEGATIVES.
A collection of approximately 500 8 x 10 inch copy negatives made from both original glass negatives and cellulose negatives, together with approximately 2,232 8 x 10 inch copy prints, housed in a series of notebooks and organized by Curtis inventory number where present, includes examples from Curtis numbers 01-X792; 803-1619; 2400-3999; 4000-4156; and the unnumbered examples from the later years. Copies made by Dr. Billy Utley with the cooperation of Curtis heir James Graybill.
After the death of Edward Curtis, his eldest daughter Beth inherited all of Curtis's Native American possessions, including many of the items offered in this sale. After Beth's death in 1974, her surviving husband Mag Magnuson gave all of Curtis's 8 x 10 inch glass plate negatives ant nitrate cellulose negatives to Curtis's only grandson, Jim Graybill. Dr. Utley, by then a close friend of Magnuson's, noticed that the nitrate cellulose negatives were beginning to disintegrate, and that the glass plate negatives, while in fine condition, were nonetheless fragile, particularly in earthquake country. Dr. Utley proposed to Jim Graybill that he be allowed to make copies of the Curtis negatives. Graybill agreed, and Dr. Utley took the negatives in small groups to Knight Harris at Producer's Photo Lab on Santa Monica Blvd. Over the course of a year, Dr. Utley produced a complete backup set for Jim Graybill as well as for himself.
In 2011 Jim Graybill donated all of his Curtis material to the Smithsonian, including the originals and the backup set created by Dr. Utley, leaving only this set in private hands.
After the death of Edward Curtis, his eldest daughter Beth inherited all of Curtis's Native American possessions, including many of the items offered in this sale. After Beth's death in 1974, her surviving husband Mag Magnuson gave all of Curtis's 8 x 10 inch glass plate negatives ant nitrate cellulose negatives to Curtis's only grandson, Jim Graybill. Dr. Utley, by then a close friend of Magnuson's, noticed that the nitrate cellulose negatives were beginning to disintegrate, and that the glass plate negatives, while in fine condition, were nonetheless fragile, particularly in earthquake country. Dr. Utley proposed to Jim Graybill that he be allowed to make copies of the Curtis negatives. Graybill agreed, and Dr. Utley took the negatives in small groups to Knight Harris at Producer's Photo Lab on Santa Monica Blvd. Over the course of a year, Dr. Utley produced a complete backup set for Jim Graybill as well as for himself.
In 2011 Jim Graybill donated all of his Curtis material to the Smithsonian, including the originals and the backup set created by Dr. Utley, leaving only this set in private hands.

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