Busacca Gallery

The Rush Gatherer - Kutenai, Gold Orotone Photograph, 1910 by Edward S. Curtis (1868-1952) An orotone photograph is created by printing a positive on a glass plate precoated with a silver gelatin emulsion. Following exposure and development, the back of the plate is coated with banana oil impregnated with gold-colored pigment, yielding a gold-toned image. Description: Photographed in: 1905 Location: Flathead Lake in Northern Montana Subject: Native American from the Kutenai tribe The Kutenai were semi-nomadic and occupied portions of southeastern British Columbia, northern Idaho, and northwestern Montana, moving seasonally to follow food sources. Produced using: Original glass plate negative and Curtis’ preferred print process, resulting in luminosity and three-dimensionality. Details: Photographer: Edward Curtis (1868-1952, Washington) Title: "The Rush Gatherer" Year: 1910 Medium: Orotone Photograph Description: Impressive and scarce large gold-tone image of a Native American in a canoe. Plate signed lower right. Original piecrust framing: 16" x 19". Foxing spots in the image. Estimate: $10,000 Additional Information: Condition: Image is in good condition. The frame has a few minor cracks in the corners. Signature: Signed in the image with a partial Curtis Studio label affixed on the back. Frame: Original Curtis Studio frame. Frame dimensions: 15.5" x 18.5". Image dimensions: 10.5" x 13.5". Historical Context: Born in 1868 near Whitewater, Wisconsin, Edward Sheriff Curtis is renowned as one of America's premier photographers and ethnologists. Publication Information: Written, illustrated, and published by Edward S. Curtis Edited by Frederick Webb Hodge Foreword by Theodore Roosevelt Field research conducted under the patronage of J. Pierpont Morgan Original photogravures produced in Boston by John Andrew & Son from 1900-1910 Photographed in 1910, this is one of Curtis’ most beautiful and compelling images. The photograph depicts a Kutenai Native American on Flathead Lake in Northern Montana. The Kutenai, semi-nomadic people, moved seasonally to follow food sources, crafting their canoes from pine bark or, as illustrated here, fresh elk hides stretched over a framework of fir strips. The rushes gathered in mountain lakes were dried and strung together into mats, lodge coverings, and other utilitarian items.

Original photogravures produced in Boston by John Andrew & Son from 1900-1910 Photographed in 1910, this is one of Curtis’ most beautiful and compelling images. The photograph depicts a Kutenai Native American on Flathead Lake in Northern Montana. The Kutenai, semi-nomadic people, moved seasonally to follow food sources, crafting their canoes from pine bark or, as illustrated here, fresh elk hides stretched over a framework of fir strips. The rushes gathered in mountain lakes were dried and strung together into mats, lodge coverings, and other utilitarian items.