"Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher" by Timothy Egan (2012)

One of the most overlooked of the early 20^th century photographers is Edward Curtis. His images of the dying days of the old Wild West; and the changing western landscape; will live on forever, in witness to the era in which they were taken. While many have seen his photographs, few really know much about the contribution he made in recording the history of the Native American.

Taking over 40,000 photographs, and making 10,000 audio recordings over a period of 10 years, Edward Curtis has often been described as the Indiana Jones of American photography. He embarked on this quest to document the story of the last of the great American Indian Tribes. With financial help from J.P. Morgan, as well as President Theodore Roosevelt, he was able to accomplish his goal. He is even credited with producing the very first film documentary.

Along with his assistant, William Meyers; an excellent linguist; he was also able to transcribe several dictionaries of Native American languages, including Hopi. He even lived with the tribe for a period and aspired to become a Hopi medicine man. While recording the history of the Apache; who were thought to have no religion; he discovered their ritual “snake dance”, even taking part in this sacred rite.

Edward Curtis’ work has gone a long way in the understanding of American Native Culture, yet his name is less known than Dorothea Dix, and many of the later photographers who traveled the country, documenting parts of its vanishing history.

His interest in photography was sparked by an old camera lens which his father had bought home from the Civil War. The young Edward Curtis built a box around it ,and with the help of a book about photography, began to take pictures. After a brief; and unsuccessful; career as a farmer and store owner, he took a loan out against his property and outfitted himself to take photographs.

His first subject was the last surviving daughter of Chief Seattle in the Northwest, a woman known as Princess Angelina. She was a gnarled and weathered old woman living on the outskirts of Seattle, and not allowed into the new city where her native village once stood. She made her living foraging for berries and digging clams and mussels along the shore, where she lived in a shack. Mr. Curtis decided to photograph her in his studio, paying her $1 for the privilege. He also is known to have helped her out with money and food before her death on May 31, 1896.

The author has written a book which is both pleasant to read, while being educational in the process. His depiction of a once proud people; chased from one end of the continent to the other; by a nation hell bent on manifest destiny, will leave you with a sense of sorrow for  a people who were never fully understood. And the story of his quest to preserve everything he could in relation to their culture, speaks to the genius of a far sighted individual.

The Library

It's almost 5 o'clock in the afternoon, and due to some family drama, only worth noting as an explanation for the tardiness of this post, I was almost going to skip posting today. I figured, who cares anyhow? Turns out that I do. So, as I often do, I headed to the nearest library to find whatever was to be found. And, as usual, I found plenty!

I roamed the History section, perusing everything between the First Crusade and up to the end of the Cold War. (The Cold War is one of my favorite subjects because I grew up during the height of it.) From there it was on to the Biography section, where I dropped in on the likes of Stalin, Newton, Peggy Lee (read that one once), Asimov (outstanding autobiography) Danny Thomas, Ben Franklin, Lincoln and so on. Then I got to the Oversized Books where I stayed for almost an hour. There were books of Photograhs from the late 1800's by Jacob Riis in New York and photos of the San Francisco Earthquake alongside photobooks of the Great Depression and the more contemporary masters like Ansel Adams. Even today's visual arts, including Grafitti, were represented on those shelves. The picture at the top of this page is "Still Life with Female Bust" by artist  Everett Spruill. I'm generally more of a traditionilist; I like Monet, Manet, etc., but this painting is so vivid and colorful that it cannot help but affect the viewer in some way. And it did, so here it is.

I took out an oversized book of Norman Rockwell paintings, two books on history and 6 DVD's. Two are documentaries that I have not seen before, the History Channel's "History of the Joke" with Lewis Black and Volume 4 of the PBS Series "Eyes On the Prize." Having just watched "Mississippi Burning" last week I wanted to see some old, archival footage of the actual events portrayed in that film.

The point of this is not to fill space, but rather, to highlight the need for Public Libraries in the first place. They serve as a destination for all ages and ethnic groups. They are a reflection of our culture. And on a cloudy day in my heart, they serve as a light to my soul.

"Photo:Box" Edited by Roberto Koch

If I could afford this book, I would own it. This is the ultimate "coffee table" book, comprised of 250 of the world's greatest photographs by the world's greatest Photographers.

From Ansel Adams and Dorothea Lange, to the European photographers such as Nino Migliori and Edouard Boubat, the entire field of photographic art is covered in these pages. And the packaging! The book is printed on high quality stock and bound in book fashion with an interesting twist- the front cover folds over and closes the book magnetically, ensuring that the pages remain untainted and crisp.

The book is organized in such a way that you are exposed to the things you would normally not look at. I'm more apt to dwell on Dorothea Langes' "Migrant Mother-California 1936" or any of the other contemporary photos than let's say something ultra modern. By dividing the photos into categories the editor forces the reader to look at all the photos. And it's funny- something that you think would not be of interest to you suddenly becomes art.

Each oppossing page contains the story behind the picture and at the bottom a brief biography of the photographer. This adds depth to the photo, in that it allows you to stand in the photographers shoes for a second and "feel" the moment. For instance, when I look at Eddie Adams photo "General Loan Executing a Viet Cong" I grimace with the South Vietnamese soldier standing on the Generals left. I never had that reaction to this photo before. I never noticed him before.

The Categories listed are Reportage, War, Potraits, Nudes, Women, Travel, Cities, Art, Fashion, Still Life, Sports, and Nature. The photos span 3 continents over the last 150 years or so. The earliest photo is of Paris in 1838. The latest is 2008 and I don't understand it. This is an amazing collection and not to be missed.