The legacy of Edward Sheriff Curtis is a collection of photographic documentation at once historically heroic and artistically important.  Recording what he then erroneously thought was a Vanishing Race, Curtis did record a passing time that would never return.  The Copper photogravure plates and the resulting photogravures represent the life work of Edward S. Curtis and his heroic effort to document North American Indians. These photogravures are both an historic documentation of Native American life ways and priceless artifacts.

Edward Sherrif Curtis photographed all of the major Native American Tribes west of the Mississippi.  He funded this momentous work with several large grants from J.P. Morgan, beginning in the late 1880’s with the last printing culminating during the Great Depression. His goal was to document "The Vanishing Race," that is,  as Native peoples were prior to the many tragic developments that eventually cost Native Americans their precious homelands. "The North American Indian" consisted of 20 volumes of photogravures and text, documenting Native American customs, including interviews with many Native Americans who describe in their own words the heritage of their tribes. Each volume was accompanied by a portfolio of large Photogravures, relating to the tribes depicted in the volumes. There are 1510 volume (18"x 24") size and 722 portfolio size (11"x 14") photogravure plates in the entire collection. 

The method Curtis chose to employ, using copper photogravure plates, are produced utilizing the process of etching glass photographic positives, onto copper plates.

Like the vintage photogravures Curtis had printed from his plates, all of our photogravure restrike prints are hand made, utilizing Curtis' original copper plate and a Brand press. Archival papers, similar in character, but different than the papers selected by Curtis, are used for printing. In order to produce a single photogravure print, the plate must be hand wiped with sepia inks. All excess ink must be removed from the plate. The image from the plate is forced onto the paper by the hand press, capturing all of the etched details on the plate. Each print is unique! There are no mechanized processes in photogravure printing. Only twenty images can be done in a typical working day, with one master printer and one press. All of the current printings are done for Art+Works Too by Deli Sacilotto, the most skilled gravure printer still working with this process.

Gravure printing is rare today.  However, it is still the most accurate technique for capturing all the details of these historic photographs. The new gravures have significant value as a master craft item. It is the intention of Art+Works Too to bring these gravures at affordable prices to purchasers who both appreciate this type of craftsmanship, and the historical nature of the subject matter.