Busacca Gallery

Edward S. Curtis, "The Maid of Dreams," ca. 1909 This vintage goldtone photograph is housed in its original Curtis Studio frame, featuring a partial Curtis Studio description legend and a complete Curtis Studio sticker on the remnants of the original backing, circa 1904. The image itself is luminous, representing the perfect exposure desired in the goldtone process. The goldtone is in pristine condition, and the Curtis Studio frame is in excellent original condition with only minor cracking on all bat-wing corners. The Curt-Tone process, named after Curtis, is more commonly referred to as a goldtone or orotone. While Curtis did not create the goldtone process, he refined it to the extent that he became its greatest master. A goldtone is a positive image on glass, unlike most photographic prints, which are positive images on paper. Curtis's technique involved taking a clear plate of optical glass and spreading a liquid emulsion onto its surface. He then projected his negative onto the glass to create a positive image. The highlights and shadows were not visible unless backed with a mixture of banana oils and bronzing powders to create a sepia or goldtone effect. Curtis spread this mixture onto the dried emulsion and then baked the glass image so that all the chemicals bonded together. This process is similar to the ambrotype, an early photographic technique involving emulsion on glass with black paint or cloth as backing. Framing the goldtone was the final step, essential for creating and shipping the finished photographic work.

Edward S. Curtis (1868-1952) was an American photographer and ethnologist renowned for his extensive work documenting the lives and cultures of Native American tribes in the early 20th century. Beginning his ambitious project in 1906 with the support of financier J.P. Morgan, Curtis spent over 20 years photographing and recording the customs, traditions, and everyday life of more than 80 tribes. His work, culminating in the monumental 20-volume series "The North American Indian," is considered one of the most significant ethnographic records of Native American cultures. Curtis's dedication to preserving this heritage has left an enduring legacy in both photography and anthropology.