Arikara Medicine Ceremony - the Ducks 1908

Edward Curtis made this photogravure, Arikara Medicine Ceremony - the Ducks, sometime in the early 20th century. The creamy sepia tones, like old paper, give the image a feeling of something ancient, something remembered. The details are incredible, you can almost feel the texture of the reeds, the weight of the headdresses, and the soft earth underfoot. Look at the way the light catches the bodies of the dancers. You can trace the lines of paint and see how the light models their bodies. It’s so subtle, so delicate, that the figures seem to emerge out of the ground itself. There is a tension between stillness and movement, with the blurred background and the sharp, distinct figures making the dance feel immediate. It reminds me of some of the quiet, meditative photographs by artists like Alfred Stieglitz, who used light and shadow to evoke a sense of inner experience. These photographs, in their softness and gentle, ambiguous narratives are an ongoing meditation on the passage of time, and the enduring human spirit.