Family Sacrifices ~ The Sacrifices of the Family

Curtis' drive to complete his North American Indian Project meant sacrifices on the part of his family. Nonetheless, his children remained loyal to their father. Beth, his oldest child, ran her father's photography studio from the time she was in her late teens. Florence, his second daughter, accompanied Curtis on field work in California as an adult and wrote two biographies of her father after his death.

 "I vowed then that never again would I include all the family on a trip into Indian country."
~ Edward S. Curtis, in his unfinished memoirs, early 1950s

The Curtis Trail Wagon, by unknown photographer, 1906. From left: Charlie Day, Curtis' interpreter; Edward S. Curtis; Florence Curtis; Beth Curtis; and an unnamed Navajo interpreter. Courtesy James Graybill, Edward S. Curtis' grandson.
The Curtis Trail Wagon,
by unknown photographer, 1906.
From left: Charlie Day, Curtis' interpreter; Edward S. Curtis; Florence Curtis; Beth Curtis; and an unnamed Navajo interpreter.

~ Continue

~ The Curtis Family ~ Working on the Frontier ~ Gaining Support ~ A Life's Work ~ Early Books ~ Family Sacrifices
~ "The Man Who Never Took Time to Play" ~ Curtis' Technique ~ Alaska ~
~ Timeline ~ Suggested Readings ~ Credits ~

~ Home ~