Sites & Structures: The Architectural Photographs of Edward S. Curtis [Hardcover]

Mary Solomon (Author, Editor), Rod Slemmons (Author, Introduction), Dan Solomon (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2000

Legendary for his massive photographic undertaking The North American Indian, Edward Sheriff Curtis (1868-1952) recorded much more than portraits of Native American tribespeople. Among his huge body of work are numerous images of all manner of native dwellings: tipis, hogans, huts, cliff houses, adobes, and many more that are far less familiar to the public eye. Though people are largely absent from these photographs, each image speaks volumes about the lives and lifestyles of the tribes to which they belonged. Other structures such as tombs, religious buildings, granaries, and totem poles are also featured prominently, further glimpses into ways of life that were in the process of disappearing. Taken from the Dan and Mary Solomon collection, Sites & Structures: The Architectural Photographs of Edward S. Curtis is the first book of Curtis photographs to explore these dwellings and structures, faithfully reproduced from the original prints and gravures. Curator and photography historian Rod Slemmons puts these photographs in context among Curtis's more familiar portraits and considers their anthropological and artistic importance. Reproduced in large, splendid tritones, Sites & Structures is one of the finest monographs of this American photographic master.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Rod Slemmons is an instructor, professional photographer, and former curator at the Seattle Art Museum. He has written numerous articles for photography and art publications, as well as several books.

Dan Solomon and Mary Solomon own one of the most significant collections of Curtis photographs. Their collection of his architectural images is the basis of a show at the Orange County Museum

Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books; First Edition edition (October 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811829383
• ISBN-13: 978-0811829380
• Product Dimensions: 12.2 x 9.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,704,640 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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0 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Sites & Strustures The Architectural Photographs of ....., December 26, 2004

By 

Zeth J. Kinnett "Keep our environment GREEN" (Chicago, Illinois USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sites & Structures: The Architectural Photographs of Edward S. Curtis (Hardcover)

I just picked this book up from he book store and briefly fliped through it. I bought this book because I am an interior architecture student. I like natural forms which this book provides. The book has a very nice appearance and the paper quality is very high. I think that the book achieves its purpose but maybe not to a full extent. It is a photograpy book and if you want the book for no other reason than the photographs then you will defenitely like the book. What I to be very disappointing about this particular book is that there is no information on the people in the photographs or on the forms which have been photographed. I would personally would like to know the names of the specific structures and have information on the forms such as how they were built and or why they were built the way they were jsut to add a little insight into what it is that us viewers ar looking at. Otherwise the book is good I would recommend it to anyone. You can always do your own research on the types of forms in the photographs. Just buy it it is good. Remember that to hire an architect is always the way to go and don't recycle or by bio-degradeable items. recycling creates more pollution than it it stops, and bio-degradeable material don't degrade when compacted in a landfill with no air allowed to come in contact with the material. Reuse as much as possible.