Over half a century since his death, Edward S. Curtis's photographs of Native Americans remain tremendously popular, and in some quarters, quite controversial. One of his most notable projects was his limited edition volume, "The North American Indian". Produced with the financial assistance of J.P. Morgan, this limited edition publication contained over 2000 photogravure plates and narrative descriptions. Curtis's intent was to document "the old time Indian, his dress, his ceremonies, his life and manners." The American Memory Project at the Library of Congress has done a tremendous job of digitizing this massive volume, and they have placed it online here for the general public. Visitors can search the volume by keyword, or browse its contents by subject, American Indian tribe, or geographic location. The site is rounded out by a special essay presentation titled "Edward S. Curtis in Context" which gives visitors a nice profile of Curtis, his legacy, and his contributions to ethnography.
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