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Why did Edward S. Curtis arrange some objects and scenes in his photographs?
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Edward S. Curtis
Self-portrait, photogravure by Edward S. Curtis, 1899; in the collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
Edward S. Curtis arranged objects and scenes in his photographs for several deliberate reasons related to his artistic and ethnographic goals:
- Aesthetic and Documentary Intent: Curtis aimed to create "documentary" images that captured what he perceived as the "soul" of Native American peoples. By composing scenes, such as encampments, he sought to emphasize the subjects' ease and harmony with the natural world.1
- Highlighting Craftsmanship: He arranged commonplace items, such as baskets, to draw the viewer's attention to the beauty and intricacy of their craftsmanship, revealing details like the tightness of a weave.1
- Reconstructing Traditions: Many of his images involved subjects who were reconstructing ways of life that had already died out. Curtis used these staged reenactments to document customs and traditions that he believed were vanishing.21
- Pictorialist Influence: In line with the Pictorialism movement, Curtis often composed his images to present his subjects as existing outside of actual history, focusing on a romanticized or timeless quality.3
Ultimately, these arrangements were driven by his desire to produce a monumental record of indigenous cultures, though they often reflected the attitudes and aesthetic determinants of the dominant mainstream culture of his time.1