CURTIS, Edward (1868-1952), photographer. An Owens Valley Mono. 1924.

7 1/2 x 6 in. glossy silver gelatin photograph, sheet 7 3/4 x 6 1/4 in. Signed lower right by Curtis. An excellent portrait with nice contrast, housed under mat (minor staining in sheet margin at upper right corner, unobtrusive emulsion losses at lower right and lower left corners, old hinge residue along top edge of the verso, impressions from the type-writing on the verso are visible on the recto in raking light).

By the time Edward Curtis began photographing Native Americans in California in 1916, the populations had dwindled to a fraction of what they had been before Spanish settlement. This image is likely of a member of the Eastern Mono, also known as the Owens Valley Paiute, who inhabit the area around the California-Nevada border. The image was originally featured in Vol. XV of The North American Indian. Curtis created silver gelatin prints for exhibitions and to sell.