Curtis (Edward S.) Collection, circa 1910, 1986

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Summary

Title:
Edward S. Curtis Collection
Dates:
circa 1910, 1986
Creators:
Sniffen, Matthew K., Curtis, Edward S., and Myers, W. E.
Abstract:
Edward S. Curtis (1868-1952) was a photographer and ethnologist who spent many years photographing, writing about, and recording the songs of Native Americans. This collection contains three original manuscripts and photocopies of manuscripts by Edward Curtis regarding his studies and his photo book series The North American Indian. The original manuscripts include a lecture on Native American religion, an annotated list of items in Curtis' artifact collection and a synopsis of the list as it could be used in the The North American Indian series, and a circa 1910 annotated catalogue of photographs for the The North American Indian publication, including descriptions of photographs that do not appear in the publication. The majority of the collection is comprised of photocopies made in 1986 of materials from 1911-1962.
Extent:
2.5 Linear Feet (1 box, 1 oversized folder)
Language:
English .
Preferred citation:

Edward S. Curtis Collection, circa 1910, 1986, Braun Research Library Collection, Autry Museum of the American West, Los Angeles; MS.647; [folder number] [folder title][date].

Background

Scope and content:

This collection contains three original manuscripts and photocopies of manuscripts by Edward Curtis regarding his studies and his photo book series The North American Indian. Original manuscripts include a lecture on Native American religion, an annotated list of items in Curtis' artifact collection and a synopsis of the list as it could be used in the The North American Indian series, and a circa 1910 annotated catalogue of photographs for the The North American Indian publication, including descriptions of photographs that do not appear in the publication.

Photocopied materials include a grouping of copies of material spanning from 1911-1962 of correspondence, clippings, newspaper clippings, and copies of images; copies of a collection of unpublished manuscripts and field notes, undated; photocopies of research and reference material used by Curtis, including handwritten references to other reference material and typed notes within the text, some by Curtis' main field assistant, W. E. Myers; and photocopies of a group of transcripts from 1924-1937 of field notes from Curtis' 1924 season living with Pueblo tribes, transcripts of interviews taken by others, including Matthew Sniffen, concerning religious freedom, and correspondence between Curtis and Sniffen.

Biographical / historical:

Edward S. Curtis (1868-1952) was a photographer and ethnologist who spent many years photographing, writing about, and recording the songs of Native Americans. His work was realized in 20 encyclopedic volumes entitled The North American Indian, published between 1907 and 1930.

J.P Morgan funded Curtis's fieldwork to produce The North American Indian series. Fieldwork was conducted between 1906 and 1914. The first publication came out in 1907, and the final publication was completed in 1930. In 1935, the J.P Morgan estate sold the rights to The North American Indian and its unpublished material to Charles E. Lauriat Company in Boston. Lauriat bound the remaining loose printed pages and sold them with the completed sets. The remaining material held by Lauriat was rediscovered in 1972, some of which was shared with the Andew Smith Gallery.

References

"The Golden Age of Western Photography Edward Sheriff Curtis." Andrew Smith Gallery Arizona, LLC. Accessed 2026, March 2. https://web.archive.org/web/20260302191459/https://www.andrewsmithgallery.com/exhibitions/misc/western/edwardcurtis.html

"The North American Indian." Curtis Legacy Foundation. Accessed 2026 March 2. https://web.archive.org/web/20260302191950/https://www.curtislegacyfoundation.org/the-north-american-indian?srsltid=AfmBOoqTb01ok8fKJ5htdB2HaXKf4g2dlau1mtBtjgtdTlWv-AS-r-bP

Acquisition information:
Original manuscript material purchased in memory of Ronald Brooks from Andrew Smith, Inc., Albuquerque, New Mexico, 1986 March 24. The photocopied material from the collection of Andrew Smith was given to the Braun Library of the Southwest Museum in exchange for photocopies of the Library's Edward S. Curtis/Frederick Webb Hodge Correspondence.
Custodial history:

Andrew Smith bought the original Curtis materials in this collection from people who purchased it from C. E. Laurait Company.

Processing information:

Processing completed by Library staff after 1981. Finding aid completed by Holly Rose Larson, NHPRC Processing Archivist, 2012 October 29, made possible through grant funding from the National Historical Publications and Records Commissions (NHPRC).

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Holly Rose Larson
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2026-03-02 21:35:13 +0000 .

Access and use

Restrictions:

Access to some of this collection may be restricted due to culturally sensitive content. Requests for researcher access to materials identified as culturally sensitive will be restricted until tribal permission has been granted. Please see the Autry's Management of Native Collections policy for further information.

Appointments to view materials are required. To make an appointment please visit https://theautry.org/research-collections/library-and-archives and fill out the Researcher Application Form.

Terms of access:

Copyright has not been assigned to the Autry Museum of the American West. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Library and Archives at the Autry. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Autry Museum of the American West as the custodian of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader.

Preferred citation:

Edward S. Curtis Collection, circa 1910, 1986, Braun Research Library Collection, Autry Museum of the American West, Los Angeles; MS.647; [folder number] [folder title][date].

Location of this collection:
4700 Western Heritage Way
Los Angeles, CA 90027, US
Contact:
(747) 201-8448
rroom@theautry.org
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