Timeline

The life and career of Edward S. Curtis, 1868–1952

1868

Born near Whitewater, Wisconsin

1887

Moves with his family to the Seattle area in Washington Territory

1891

Buys into a Seattle photography studio, later partnering with Thomas Guptill

1896

Makes early portraits of Native subjects in Seattle, including Kikisoblu (Princess Angeline)

1900

Begins fieldwork among the Piikani (Blackfeet), encouraged by ethnologist George Bird Grinnell

1904

Makes signature images including 'The Vanishing Race' and 'Canon de Chelly' in Navajo country

1906

J. Pierpont Morgan agrees to fund the project, providing $75,000 toward The North American Indian

1907

Publishes Volume 1 of The North American Indian, with a foreword by Theodore Roosevelt and editing by Frederick Webb Hodge

1914

Directs the feature film 'In the Land of the Head Hunters,' filmed with Kwakwaka'wakw participants

1930

Completes The North American Indian with the publication of Volumes 19 and 20

1952

Dies in Los Angeles, California

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