Edward Sheriff Curtis: Visions of a Vanishing Race [Paperback]

Florence Curtis Graybill (Author), Victor Boesen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2000

First published in 1976, this book is the classic photographic record of Native American life by one of America’s greatest photographers.

From 1904 to 1930 Edward Sheriff Curtis sought out the vanishing tribes of Native Americans with an unwavering passion and dedication. His life’s work was to record the faces and lifestyles of the Indians before they vanished forever. He photographed more than eighty tribes, from the Southwest to the Arctic. It was an achievement both poignant and monumental.

For this book, Curtis’s daughter, Florence, selected 175 of her father’s greatest photographs. She has also collaborated closely with Victor Boesen to give readers a moving and detailed biography of Curtis’s life and work. In addition, there is a memoir of Curtis by his son, Harold.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“A work of art, of anthropology, and of history lovingly recapturing the work of a great student of the American Indian.” -- Los Angeles Times

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: University of New Mexico Press (July 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0826322492
• ISBN-13: 978-0826322494
• Product Dimensions: 12 x 9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,948,940 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Deeply moving photos and text, tell a sad story., November 1, 2001

By 

Don R. Greenwood (Vancouver, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Edward Sheriff Curtis: Visions of a Vanishing Race (Paperback)

After viewing on PBS, a documentary of Edward Sheriff Curtis, I was moved to purchase this excellent work.
I was touched to my soul, by the photos, and how well they conveyed a race of people who have all but vanished.
The text that goes with the pictures is also quite good, and tells a remarkable story of a man obsessed to tell the world a story which we all need to hear and see. Curtis sacrificed his own finances and marriage, and did succeed in completing a very exhausting pilgrimage.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Visions of a Vanishing Race, March 27, 2007

By 

Helen Hunt - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Edward Sheriff Curtis: Visions of a Vanishing Race (Paperback)

This book gives a well rounded look at the work of Edward Sheriff Curtis in a size that is easy to handle.

8 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is artistic and historically accurate, April 20, 2000

By 

Leota Sigrid Boesen (Houston) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Edward Sheriff Curtis: Visions of a Vanishing Race (Paperback)

This is perhaps the greatest book authored by my uncle, Victor Hugo Boesen. He worked diligently with Curtis' daughter and other members and friends of the Curtis family to research and to write this book. The photographs are stunning. It is a must read for anyone interested in the history of the American Indian and Curtis' crucial role in recording this history. This book has been translated into French and German. Victor Boesen served as a war correspondent for Liberty Magazine during World War II and was present at the signing of the peace treaty on the USS Missouri. His writings appeared in Life, Look, the Los Angeles Times, and other major periodicals and newspapers.