Bow River--Blackfoot, Edward S. Curtis, 1926

Edward Sheriff CurtisAmerican, 1868–1952

Bow River--Blackfoot

1926 · Photograph · 29.53 × 39.69 cm

Can I see it?

Not on view at present

Where is “Bow River--Blackfoot” now? Collection: Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis. Not on view at present. Checked September 29, 2026.

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Minneapolis, United States

It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.

Checked: 11 days ago
In this state since: Sep 25, 2026
Source: The museum

On the map Museum page

About the work

Edward Curtis opened a photographic studio in the early 1890s at a time when Native Americans had lost most of their native lands. Curtis cast himself as an ethnographer yet, in reality, he was posing his subjects, often providing historical costumes and dressing them up to look like authentic warriors and chiefs.

Seemingly motivated to capture the image of a Vanishing America, he created images of men whose people, by this time, had been brutally massacred, betrayed by governmental treaties, and relocated to inferior and isolated reservations.

These aesthetic simulations provided generations with a romanticized image of Native Americans. They continue to be sold to audiences today whose perception of 'Indianness' is often based on the stereotypes that Curtis helped to create.

Minneapolis Institute of Art