Edward S. Curtis Sacred Legacy Collection

I like a man who attempts the impossible

One hundred years ago Edward Curtis created an unparalleled record of beauty, spirituality, and Native American life. It remains one of the largest and most important bodies of work created in the history of photography. Curtis’ profound and powerful imagery has inspired millions of viewers and today he is one of the most widely known and collected fine art photographers in the world. His work has been exhibited internationally in over fifty countries and is the subject of over thirty monographs. President Theodore Roosevelt and J.P. Morgan were among many luminaries who supported and championed Curtis and his project.

The Sacred Legacy Collection represents the distilled essence of Edward Curtis’ thirty-year project. Comprising over eight hundred vintage photographs and related objects, the Sacred Legacy Collection offers extraordinary possibilities. The Collection was designed to be a legacy that will endure for many generations and be a unique holding for any private or public collection.

The Sacred Legacy Collection is unprecedented. The Collection is the culmination of nearly four decades of scholarship and collecting by Christopher Cardozo. Cardozo is widely considered to be the world’s leading Curtis authority as well as the foremost collector of Curtis’ work. He has curated numerous exhibitions that have traveled globally and is the author/editor of eight books on Curtis. In the past half century, no one has contributed more to the Curtis renaissance than Cardozo.

The vast majority of the prints in the Collection have been held by Cardozo for a decade or longer. The great success of his book, Sacred Legacy, and the exhibitions of the same name inspired Cardozo to create this extraordinary Collection. For the first time Cardozo is de-accessioning a large and significant group of vintage Curtis photographs from his private collection.

Every cultural/geographic region in which Curtis photographed is represented in the Collection, as is every style of Curtis’ photography, including portrait, landscape, ceremony, still life, etc. The Collection contains fine examples of every print media Curtis is known to have worked in. Many of the prints are from historically important, Curtis collections. Every print in the Collection has been carefully selected. There has never been another Curtis collection offered for sale that approximates this Collection’s depth, quality, condition, or provenance.

Please contact Cardozo Fine Art for more information.

Edward S. Curtis The Women Collection

Edward Curtis devoted nearly thirty years of his life to creating an unparalleled record of beauty, dignity, spirituality, and Native American life. It remains one of the greatest bodies of work created in the history of the photographic medium. Curtis’ profound and powerful imagery continues to move viewers today, and his work is in the process of being exhibited globally in over sixty countries. He is one of the most widely known and collected fine art photographers in the world. The Women Collection represents the distilled essence of Curtis’ photographs of Native women and their lives.

The Women Collection is an unprecedented offering. Even in Curtis’ time, no collection like this was ever created. The Collection is the end result of over three decades of dedication, collecting, and evolving connoisseurship by Christopher Cardozo. Cardozo is the world’s foremost Curtis collector and is widely considered to be the world’s leading authority on Curtis. No one, except Edward Curtis himself, has done more to increase the understanding and appreciation of Curtis’ work.

The Women Collection is not only unique but it would be impossible to replicate today. The vast majority of the prints have been held by Cardozo or his company for many years. The great success of his book, The Women, and a small exhibition on the same theme inspired Cardozo to create this extraordinary Collection. He personally curated The Women Collection and for the first time in thirty-four years of collecting, Cardozo has de-accessioned a large and significant group of vintage Curtis photographs from his private collection.

Every print in The Collection has been carefully inspected and many have received professional conservation treatment. Cardozo is not aware of any other collection ever offered for sale that has such high standards for print quality and print condition. Every cultural/geographic region in which Curtis photographed is represented in The Collection. Every style of Curtis’ photography is also represented (portrait, landscape, still-life, etc.)

Comprising nearly four-hundred vintage photographs and related objects, The Women Collection offers many possibilities. First and foremost, it was created to appeal to a serious connoisseur/collector who appreciates the power of the subject matter and the importance of preserving this unique Collection for history. The Collection also represents an important opportunity to create an unprecedented exhibition and education program. Lastly, The Collection was designed to be a legacy that will endure for many generations and be a unique holding for any private or public collection.

Please contact Cardozo Fine Art for more information.

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