Edward S. Curtis: Photographer of His Time
November 8, 2025 – March 29, 2026
Curated by James Museum Associate Curator Caitlin Pendola, this landmark exhibition offers a rare look at Curtis’ work, tracing his three-decade photographic career alongside broader shifts in American art. At the heart of the exhibition is a striking special Portrait Gallery Installation co-curated by Pendola and Manager of Adult Learning Ernest Gendron, featuring a powerful display of many of the individuals who shaped his vision.
Curtis (1858-1952), an American photographer and ethnologist, is best known for his extensive photographic record of Native American cultures documented in his prodigious early 20th-century publication, The North American Indian. His early photographs reflect the emotive qualities of Romanticism and Pictorialism, while later works echo the bold experimentation of Modernism and the grounded realism of Regionalism.
Visitors will encounter Curtis’ work in conversation with artwork by his contemporaries—including Dorothea Lange, Thomas Hart Benton and Edward Steichen—that situate him firmly within the broader artistic and cultural movements of his era.
“This exhibition reexamines Curtis as an artist shaped by the changing world around him and launches a larger James Museum initiative to further study and recontextualize his body of work. “ -Robin Nicholson, Executive Director
Complementing the exhibition is the special Portrait Gallery Installation, which shifts attention from the art movements that influenced Curtis to the individuals who shaped his vision. Featuring 84 Native American portraits, approximately one from each Native American tribe Curtis visited as part of his seminal project, The North American Indian, the Portrait Gallery Installation recasts the subjects as active participants and collaborators on Curtis’s massive project.
With works drawn from the museum’s Robb and Susan Hough Edward S. Curtis Collection and complemented by loans from museums, private collections, and foundations nationwide, the exhibition features more than 160 pieces within the 2 sections of the exhibition.
Exclusive Member Opening Reception
Members, join us for your exclusive reception for Edward S. Curtis: Photographer of His Time.
Space is limited; advance registration required for the reception.
EXHIBITION PROGRAMMING
A series of informative and engaging programs accompanies the exhibition, offering visitors deeper insight into Curtis’ work and its reflection of the changing world around him.
MEMBER EXCLUSIVES
November 8 | Exhibition Opening Reception
ADULT PROGRAMS
November 19 | Discussion: “Edward S. Curtis: The Native American Portraits Installation”
November 20 | Book Club: Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher: The Epic Life and Immortal Photographs of Edward S. Curtis by Timothy Egan
EDUCATORS
November 8 | Free Educators’ Day
