Edward S. Curtis Digital Collection
Preview up to 100 items from this collection below. Photographer Edward S. Curtis devoted two decades to making “The North American Indian,” an early 20th century photography and text project studying Western tribes.
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Letter from Edward S. Curtis to Harriet Leitch, February 2, 1951
Letter from Edward Curtis to Harriet Leitch describing the production of his birthday portrait. He writes "It was the first time in eight years I had been to the studio; some of the girls threatened to kiss me - think of that - at my age." Curtis also writes about the distribution of the photographs to Seattle newspapers and others who have sent him written requests. He says that he has been delayed in responding to some of these requests due to the fact that the letters were lost while he was in a period of poor health and he has only recently uncovered them. He asks for Leitch's help in making sure the autographed photographs are properly distributed and adds that one should be sent to the Seattle Public Library as well.
Identifier: spl_esc_022
Date: 1951-02-02
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Webb Moffett Interview, February 9, 1986
Webb Moffett (1909-2008) was born in New York City in 1909. He attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York and graduated with a degree in engineering. He moved to Seattle in the 1930s where he worked as Assistant Director for the Army Corps of Engineers at the Ballard Locks. Moffett was heavily involved in developing Western Washington’s ski industry and helped to install the first tow ropes at Mt. Rainier, Mt. Baker and Snoqualmie Pass. With his company Ski Lifts, Inc. he made additional improvements to Snoqualmie Pass introducing ski patrols, chair lifts, electric lighting to allow night skiing and snow grooming equipment. Moffett was inducted into the National Ski Hall of Fame in 1999.
Identifier: spl_ds_wmoffett_01
Date: 1986-02-09
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Letter from Edward S. Curtis to Harriet Leitch, November 24, 1948
Letter from Edward Curtis to Harriet Leitch promising to send her more than 200 reviews of The North American Indian supplied by his clipping agency. He discusses rediscovering his writings relating to his trip to the Arctic and a daily log that recorded his team's experiences in the field. Curtis also recounts how he acquired his bad leg, stating "While making a motion picture of a large whale, he became annoyed and with his tail smashed our whaling boat with a swat of his tail. I came out of the smashing with a broken hip. It's more than twenty years since that mishap and I still limp slightly. At the time of the northern trip I limped badly."
Identifier: spl_esc_004
Date: 1948-11-24
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Letter from Edward S. Curtis to Harriet Leitch, April 10, 1951
Letter from Edward Curtis to Harriet Leitch enclosing a previously unmailed letter of several pages. In his letter, Curtis describes how he came to be associated with the Harriman Expedition while helping guide some of the men associated with the group on a climb of Mount Rainier. He confirms he was the youngest man on the expedition and the only member still alive. He also describes meeting George Bird Grinnell and later joining him during his trips to the Blackfoot tribe to witness the Sun Dance. Curtis writes that he began taking pictures among the tribes of the Puget Sound two years prior to the expedition. He notes with pride that some of these photos won the grand prize in the National Photographic Exhibition. Curtis describes his first meeting with J.P. Morgan and how he agreed to take on the work of "The North American Indian" with no reimbursement for his work. He explains that up until his meeting with Morgan, he only intended to make photographs with descriptive titles but Morgan decided there should also be a text to accompany the photographs. Curtis writes "When it was decided that there should be a complete text with the pictures the question was as to who should write it. Mr. Morgan decided that question without delay. In making decisions he spoke to me directly you are the one to write the text, you know the Indian and how they live and what they are thinking." Curtis also describes how he had the help of Seattle Times owner Joe Blethen to travel to Arizona and New Mexico where he studied the Hopi tribe.
Identifier: spl_esc_025
Date: 1951-04-10
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Letter from Harriet Leitch to Edward Curtis, March 1, 1949
Letter from Harriet Leitch to Edward Curtis informing him that she and Lucile McDonald, a Seattle Times journalist, were in the process of reviewing the materials he had sent for an article in the paper. Leitch shares a few more questions that McDonald has about Curtis's experiences writing The North American Indian. She adds that they would like to include several pictures from the Pacific Northwest Volume in the article.
Identifier: spl_esc_009
Date: 1949-03-01
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Letter from Edward S. Curtis to Harriet Leitch, December 26, 1948
Letter from Edward Curtis to Harriet Leitch in which he responds to her inquiry as to whether he would consider writing an autobiography. Curtis notes that his health and finances prohibit him from undertaking such a project and describes how publishers have told him there is now little interest in books focusing on Native Americans. He writes that he has already given a publisher a book written by him on the topic of the Pacific shores with a large chapter focusing on the history of sea otter hunting and trade. Curtis states that he spent many months on the work but his publishers say there is not enough interest to produce it. Curtis suggests Leitch looks at his two previous books. "Indian Days of the Long Ago" and "The Land of the Head Hunters," if she is able to find them at the library.
Identifier: spl_esc_006
Date: 1948-12-26
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Letter from Edward S. Curtis to Harriet Leitch, March 3, 1951
Letter from Edward Curtis to Harriet Leitch mentioning the Curtis Studio on Wilshire Boulevard which he states he has not been involved with for several years. He adds that this has caused much confusion because some of the requests sent to him regarding autographed portraits have been misdirected to the studio. Curtis also discusses photographing Princess Angeline in Seattle, stating that he paid her a dollar for each portrait and added "This seemed to please her greatly and with hands + jargon she indicated that she preferred to spend her time, having pictures made than in digging clams."
Identifier: spl_esc_023
Date: 1951-03-03
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Transcription of letters from Edward S. Curtis to Harriet Leitch, August 26, 1948 to August 4, 1951
Transcribed copies of letters sent from Edward S. Curtis to Harriet Leitch, a former librarian at the Seattle Public Library. In the letters, Curtis discusses his memories of climbing Mount Rainier, participating in the Harriman Expedition to Alaska and writing The North American Indian.
Identifier: spl_esc_029
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Letter from Edward S. Curtis to Harriet Leitch, March 1, 1950
Letter from Edward Curtis to Harriet Leitch, explaining he was delayed in sending a response to her last letter due to the fact that he misplaced her address. He writes about continuing his work on "The Lure of Gold" and expresses excitement that he has been excited to join an expedition of the Pan-American Scientific Research Association to the Amazon. The expedition will travel down the Pacific Coast, through the Panama Canal and south to Brazil. He adds that there will be a doctor that accompanies the expedition so he will be in good medical care throughout the journey.
Identifier: spl_esc_015
Date: 1950-03-01
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Eleanor Reed Interview, August 24, 1987
Eleanor Henry Reed (1911-1996) was an active member of Seattle’s charitable community. Reed was on the board of the Children’s Hospital for 20 years and also a member of the Sunset Club and the Junior League. She married William G. Reed in 1935 and the couple had 3 children together. Reed served as president of the Simpson Logging Company from 1943 to 1971. Her father, Paul Henry, was the founder of Henry Gallery at the University of Washington.
Identifier: spl_ds_ereed_01_01
Date: 1987-08-24
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