In search of a lost time: The complete portfolios by Edward S. Curtis on Native
Americans At the turn of the 20th century, the American photographerEdward Sheri
ff Curtis(1868 1952) started on his 30-year project to produce a monumental stud
y of North American Indians. Using an approach that was both artistically and sc
ientifically ambitious, he recorded, in words and pictures, the traces of the tr
aditional Indian way of life that was already beginning to die out.With tireless
personal commitment Curtis visited80 American Indian tribes from the Mexican bo
rder to the Bering Strait, gaining their confidence through his patience and sen
sitivity.