Who painted Portfolio I, Plate 17: An Apache Babe?

Portfolio I, Plate 17: An Apache Babe was painted by Edward S. Curtis in 1903.

Where can I see Portfolio I, Plate 17: An Apache Babe?

Portfolio I, Plate 17: An Apache Babe is held by Cleveland Museum of Art.

Artwork

Portfolio I, Plate 17: An Apache Babe

Edward S. Curtis , 1903

Portfolio I, Plate 17: An Apache Babe is a work on paper by Edward S. Curtis. It dates from 1903 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.

About this work

Overview

Portfolio I, Plate 17: An Apache Babe is a photographic plate produced in 1903 by Edward S. Curtis. The image forms part of his extensive visual record of Indigenous peoples of North America and is currently in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Subject & Meaning

The plate depicts a young Apache child dressed in traditional attire, offering a rare visual reference to the clothing and personal presentation of Apache youth at the turn of the twentieth century. By focusing on an individual rather than a group scene, Curtis highlights personal identity within a broader cultural context.

Technique & Style

Curtis employed early photographic processes, likely a glass-plate negative, to capture fine detail and tonal range. His compositional approach combines documentary intent with a staged aesthetic, arranging the subject to emphasize cultural markers while maintaining a clear, sharply rendered portrait.

History & Provenance

Created during Curtis’s fieldwork among various Native American nations, the plate entered the Cleveland Museum of Art’s collection through acquisition (date of acquisition not specified). It remains an example of Curtis’s systematic effort to archive visual material on Native peoples for both scholarly and public audiences.