“Tsi'yone ('Flying') – Sia" Photogravure by Edward S. Curtis c.1925
ABOUT
A rare and soulful window into the American West, this original 1925 photogravure by Edward S. Curtis is a study in texture, heritage, and light. Titled "Tsi'yone ('Flying') – Sia," it captures a quiet, tectonic moment of Pueblo life in New Mexico, originally curated for Volume XVI of Curtis’s seminal masterwork, The North American Indian.
This particular piece is a deluxe edition printing, executed on translucent Japanese tissue. The delicate, silk-like substrate allows for a depth of sepia tone and a luminous clarity that standard paper cannot replicate. It is a medium that demands a slower gaze, transforming a historical record into a piece of ethereal fine art.
- CREATOR Edward S. Curtis (1868 - 1952). Subject: Sia (Zia) Pueblo, New Mexico
- DATE OF MANUFACTURE c.1925.
- MATERIALS AND TECHNIQUES Medium: Original photogravure on hand-mounted Japanese Gampi tissue.
- CONDITION Good. This print and vintage Van Gelder overmat are in very good condition overall. There is very minor rippling at the print margins, particularly at the lower left corner, primarily visible in raking light.
- DIMENSIONS Image: 6 in. x 8 in.
HISTORY
Edward S. Curtis (1868–1952) left an enduring mark on the history of photography in his 20-volume life's work, The North American Indian. Between 1900 and 1930, Curtis traveled across the continent photographing more than seventy Native American tribes. The photographs presented daily activities, customs, and religions of a people he called “a vanishing race.
PHOTOGRAVURES | The vast majority of his prints, approximately 98%, were printed as photogravures, and virtually all them were produced for The North American Indian. Curtis used two standard sizes, 5 x 7″ (or reverse), and approximately 12 x 16″ (or reverse). He favored three hand-made papers: Japanese Vellum, Dutch “Van Gelder,” and Japanese “Tissue,” also known as India Proof Paper.
