Conspicuous Jewelry by Edward S. Curtis

The North American Indian is the 20 volume culmination of Edward Sheriff Curtis' (1868-1952) epic life work. It features 2,200 photogravures. Curtis cast the American Indian in stylized romantic fashion which set the stereotypes and popular notions of his day in America. His entire monolithic portfolio started in the 1890's and continued over 30 years includes more than 40,000 images. The photographs are generally praised as art works of beauty and for technical expertise, but his work has been roundly criticized for decades especially by ethnologists, historians, and other serious academics. His subjects were frequently outfitted with inaccurate or mingled tribal clothing and idealized accouterments. Anachronistic elements were strictly avoided. These embellishments and historical distortions give the impression of past days of Native American glory when in fact, the American Indian of that era was very often defeated, marginalized, and left to live in squalor with loss of freedom and dignity.

Note how the Zuni girl below is poised to show her excessive jewelry in overt exaggeration.

Northwestern University Library, Edward S. Curtis's 'The North American Indian': the Photographic Images, 2001.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/award98/ienhtml/curthome.html

As a connoisseur of ethnic jewelry, I can appreciate the body adornments and physical beauty of his Zuni subject, but it does leave me uncomfortable as an overall false and staged portrayal. In contrast, look below at his sensitive 1905 rendition of the heavily wrinkled Apache Geronimo. It's a classic portrait of this legendary man near the end of his seemingly impossible life. I chose the image to illustrate one of Edward Sheriff's Curitis' many gifts of legacy to posterity. I think it is beyond criticism.

Northwestern University Library, Edward S. Curtis's 'The North American Indian': the Photographic Images, 2001.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/award98/ienhtml/curthome.html