Grass-House Ceremony -Wichita
Artist
Edward S. Curtis
(American, 1868 - 1952)
Engraver
Suffolk Engraving Company
(American, active early 20th century)
Datecopyright 1927
Mediumphotogravure on paper
Dimensions17 3/4 × 22 inches (45.1 × 55.9 cm)
Other (Plate): 13 1/2 × 16 7/8 inches (34.3 × 42.9 cm)
Other (Plate): 13 1/2 × 16 7/8 inches (34.3 × 42.9 cm)
Credit LinePurchase of the Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation, 2013
Object number2013.2.19.5
ClassificationsPhotographs
Label TextTraditionally, the Wichita men hunted buffalo like other Plains tribes. The Wichita were also agricultural. As farmers, they had stationary homes. The Wichita constructed grass houses. They performed a ceremony to accompany the building of a house. Curtis photographed the dancers before an arbor. It ends with a conical roof of grasses supported by posts, showing the structure of a grass house. Today, most Wichita live in frame houses. Some traditionalists have preserved the knowledge of building grass houses.
ProvenanceAcquired by subscription directly from the artist by the National Geographic Society, Washington, D.C.[1]; purchased December 6, 2012 through (Christies, New York, New York,[2]) by Arader Galleries, New York, New York; purchased June 10, 2013 through (Arader Galleries, New York, New York) by the Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation; accessioned to the Stark Museum of Art
[1] This set was stored in the National Geographic Society’s archive housed in the Society’s Washington, D.C. headquarters.
[2] "The National Geographic Collection: The Art of Exploration," December 6, 2012, Christie’s, New York, Rockefeller Plaza, sale 2603, lot 65
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