Lot 5
Edward S. Curtis(1868-1952)Three Brothers, Yosemite
30 June – 1 July 2021, 16:00 PDT
Los AngelesSold for US$4,845 inc. premium
Looking for a similar item?
Our Books & Manuscripts specialists can help you find a similar item at an auction or via a private sale.
Find your local specialistAsk about this lot
Client Services (Los Angeles)
Client Services (New York)
Edward S. Curtis (1868-1952)
Three Brothers, Yosemite, before 1899
Orotone, probably unique; accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity, signed and dated '1/16/92' by Manford Magnuson in ink affixed on the period frame backing.
14 x 10in (35.5 x 25.4cm); period frame
Orotone, probably unique; accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity, signed and dated '1/16/92' by Manford Magnuson in ink affixed on the period frame backing.
14 x 10in (35.5 x 25.4cm); period frame
Footnotes
The accompanying Certificate of Authenticity for this interesting work, signed by Manford "Mag" Magnuson, Edward Curtis's son-in-law and the Curtis Studio co-owner from 1923-1968, reads as follows:
"This orotone is of the "Three Brothers" mountain formation in Yosemite Valley. It measures 10 x 14 inches which is a rare size. Most Curtis orotones are made the standard size 11 x 14 inches, with very few exceptions.
I believe this is the only Curtis orotone that exists of this scene. In fact, I don't recall that he made any other orotones of Yosemite scenes. Scenic photographs by Edward S. Curtis are rare after the 1899 when Indian photographs became his life's endeavor. I can only think of one other scenic orotone that Curtis made working out of the Los Angeles Studio and that was of the Grand Canyon.
This orotone lacks some clarity in the foreground which may be in the negative. This is probably the reason why no other orotones were made from this negative. While in Yosemite, E.S. Curtis did make photographs of "El Capitan" and "Vernal Falls." But I don't believe orotones were ever made from those negatives. I hereby certify this orotone, though unsigned, is an authentic Edward S. Curtis orotone."
