Luqaíôt - Kittitas 1910

Edward S. Curtis made this photograph, Luqaíôt - Kittitas, using paper, somewhere around the turn of the 20th century. Look at the way the light falls on his face; it’s like Curtis is using light to carve the image, to define every line and plane. There’s something so compelling about the textures Curtis captures: the feathered adornments that frame his face, the beaded necklace, and the deep wrinkles etched by time. Notice how the light emphasizes the soft, almost blurred quality of his hair against the sharp, focused lines of his profile. It's a dance between softness and structure that draws me in. This image reminds me of Irving Penn's portraits—a similar starkness and intimacy. Curtis's work, like Penn's, invites us to really see the person in front of the lens, to contemplate the stories etched into their being. There is no right or wrong way to see it.