Busacca Gallery

A PIEGAN DANDY, 1900 EDWARD S. CURTIS, AMERICAN, 1868-1952 This vintage large-format photogravure, titled A Piegan Dandy, is Plate 208 from Portfolio 6 of The North American Indian. Created by Edward Sheriff Curtis (1868-1952), an esteemed American photographer, this piece is printed on paper. It stands out as one of the most striking subjects in Curtis’s entire collection. The subject of this image may be associated with the Sun Dance, or “Okun”—a significant ceremony for the Piegan people. The costume depicted is possibly used in rituals dedicated to their principal deity, the sun, known as "Napiw," who was invoked for supernatural aid. In many North American Indian tribes, the sun was the central deity. Celestial bodies often became the focus of supplications in prayer by individuals seeking supernatural aid, whether or not they had seen the being in a vision. Edward Curtis documented the influence of various tribes on each other, observing and recording the similarities in their rituals.

Edward S. Curtis (1868-1952) was an American photographer and ethnologist renowned for his extensive work documenting the lives and cultures of Native American tribes in the early 20th century. Beginning his ambitious project in 1906 with the support of financier J.P. Morgan, Curtis spent over 20 years photographing and recording the customs, traditions, and everyday life of more than 80 tribes. His work, culminating in the monumental 20-volume series "The North American Indian," is considered one of the most significant ethnographic records of Native American cultures. Curtis's dedication to preserving this heritage has left an enduring legacy in both photography and anthropology.