"Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher" by TImothy Egan Edward
Curtis, armed only with a camera and a sixth-grade education,
managed to make an invaluable contribution to American history
and photography. As a child in the late 1800s he built his own
camera, and in his teenage years he was already working as an
apprentice photographer in He was so successful at his
profession that he earned the respect and attention of President
Theodore Roosevelt and J.P. Morgan, who both went on to become
his biggest backers artistically and financially. In fact, But
Curtis had bigger plans than being a celebrity photographer, he
wanted to document the life and culture of American Indians all
across the continent. He spent three decades traveling the
country, living with tribes and gaining their trust. As a sign
of the artist’s patience and fortitude, he waited for ten years
until the Hopi allowed him into their sacred Snake Dance
ceremony. By the end of his efforts, Curtis had compiled over
40,000 photographs, captured 10,000