Curtis Collection Dubuque

"Joseph–Nez Perce" by Edward S. Curtis
Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division

What is the Curtis Collection?

Edward S. Curtis (1868-1952) was a photographer of Native Americans. His main work, The North American Indian, was published between 1907 and 1930 in limited edition and was sold by subscription. Fewer than 280 sets of The North American Indian are thought to exist today.

A set of The North American Indian was donated to Carnegie-Stout Public Library in Dubuque in 1909 by Emma H. Ward in memory of her husband, Hiram, a local philanthropist. The collection includes twenty volumes of illustrated text maintained at Carnegie-Stout Public Library, and about seven hundred large-sized photogravures, or prints made from photographic images, on long-term loan at the Dubuque Museum of Art.

Where can I see the Curtis Collection?

Nine of the photogravures from the Curtis Collection are currently on public display at the Dubuque Museum of Art. Admission is free.

The volumes of illustrated text can be viewed at Carnegie-Stout Public Library by appointment by calling Library Administration at 563-589-4225 option #7.

More Information

Carnegie-Stout Public Library, Dubuque

Books about Curtis at Carnegie-Stout Public Library

Dubuque Museum of Art

Edward S. Curtis's North American Indian, American  Memory, Library of Congress

Edward S. Curtis Collection, Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress

Edward S. Curtis's The North American Indian, Digital Library Collections, Northwestern University

Frontier Photographer: Edward S. Curtis, a Smithsonian Institution Libraries exhibition

Edward Curtis, American Masters, PBS

Selling the North American Indian: The Work of Edward Curtis by Valerie Daniels