Who painted Portfolio IX, Plates 293- 328?

Portfolio IX, Plates 293- 328 was painted by Edward S. Curtis in 1906.

Where can I see Portfolio IX, Plates 293- 328?

Portfolio IX, Plates 293- 328 is held by Cleveland Museum of Art.

What movement is Portfolio IX, Plates 293- 328?

Portfolio IX, Plates 293- 328 is associated with Impressionism.

Artwork

Portfolio IX, Plates 293- 328

Edward S. Curtis , 1906

Portfolio IX, Plates 293- 328 is a work on paper by the Impressionist artist Edward S. Curtis. It dates from 1906 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Portfolio IX, Plates 293‑328 is a photographic work produced by Edward S.

About this work

Overview

Portfolio IX, Plates 293‑328 is a photographic work produced by Edward S. Curtis in 1906. The image forms part of a larger series documenting Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest. The print is presently in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it is catalogued as a portfolio plate rather than a single‑frame photograph.

Subject & Meaning

The picture depicts an individual identified in the original caption as a "Primitive Quinault," a member of the Quinault tribe of western Washington. The figure stands barefoot amid dense forest vegetation, wearing a woven skirt and holding a small object, suggesting a personal or ceremonial item. The setting emphasizes a close relationship between the subject and the natural environment.

Technique & Style

The image’s tonal range and careful framing reflect Curtis’s ethnographic intent combined with artistic considerations.

Curtis employed early 20th‑century photographic processes, likely using glass‑plate negatives and contact printing. The composition balances light and shadow, creating a soft, diffused illumination reminiscent of chiaroscuro, which lends a three‑dimensional quality to the foliage and the figure. The image’s tonal range and careful framing reflect Curtis’s ethnographic intent combined with artistic considerations.

History & Provenance

Created during Curtis’s extensive fieldwork among Native American communities, the plate was assembled into Portfolio IX, a series of images intended for publication and exhibition. After its initial circulation, the work entered the Cleveland Museum of Art’s holdings, where it has been preserved as part of the museum’s photography collection, providing researchers access to early visual records of Quinault culture.