The dapper looking fellow on the right is Edward S. Curtis. I became reacquainted with him while I was researching the Pueblo culture in New Mexico. Having touched on his work while studying photography in college, I had forgotten about him.

I'm traveling across the Southwest on my way to Las Vegas, stopping to study and write about what I find along the way. My curiosity has always been peaked by the Old West and Southwestern life. Indians and the Puebloans are at the center of history here.

So when I stumbled upon Curtis I had to get to know him. His writings and photography were controversial when he published his work The American Indian, 1907 to 1930, as a limited edition. Curtis said his goal was to document "the old time Indian, his dress, his ceremonies, his life and manners." Some of his contemporaries questioned his methods, however, and many on the reservation doubted his sincerity.

A resurgence of interest in Curtis took place in the 1970s, and one can find a lot online about his life and work. I recently noticed an Edward S. Curtis 2007 Calendar at a bookstore, available with wonderful photographs of Indian life in the early years of the last century.

For more information and links visit my blog at Photographium.