Edward S. Curtis
(1868 - 1952)
A Walpi Man "Meator" (A Moki Chief), 1900
platinum print
Copyright blind stamp, at lower left on print recto (Pointed ends): COPYRIGHTED 1903 BY E.S. CURTIS
In negative at lower left on print recto: +58
Copyright info in the negative, at lower left on print recto: COPYRIGHT 1903 BY E.S. CURTIS

Negative Date: 1900
Print Date: 1903
Walpi, Southwest

The Walpi Man is an iconic Curtis portrait widely considered to be aesthetically in the top one tenth of one percent of all of CurtisÂ’ work. It has a pleasing, open, tonality. Platinum prints of this image are extremely rare and highly sought after. The image is highly evocative and illustrates the extraordinary connection Curtis had with many Native Americans and their leaders. The subject is Meator, an important Hopi leader, from a tribal group with whom Curtis was especially close. It is one of his most historically significant images as it was made during Curtis' first independent, self-financed trip into the field, in 1900. Of Curtis' forty to fifty thousand images, many consider this to be one of his most compelling.
This image is illustrated in numerous books on Edward Curtis, but of key importance is that this exact print was copy photographed to reproduce the cover of Cardozo's major Curtis book, Sacred Legacy: Edward Curtis and the North American Indian.
15 1/4 x 10 7/16 in. (38.74 x 26.51 cm.), Frame: 29 x 25 1/8 in. (73.66 x 63.82 cm.)
Edward Curtis Studio, Seattle
Private Collection(s)
The Christopher G. Cardozo Collection, 1998

Exhibited:
Sacred Legacy: Edward S. Curtis and the North American Indian (176 print exhibit), 2000

Publication History - Print:
Sacred Legacy: Edward S. Curtis and the North American Indian, Simon & Schuster, 2000, Front cover; Page 109

Publication History - Image:
The North American Indian (1907-1930), Portfolio 12, Plate #424
Native Nations, Bulfinch Press, 1993, Page 136
Sacred Legacy: Edward S. Curtis and the North American Indian, Simon & Schuster, 2000, Front cover; Page 109
Edward S. Curtis One Hundred Masterworks, Delmonico Books/Prestel Publishing, 2015, Page 54

This print is in excellent condition overall. A formal, detailed condition report is available upon request.

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