Reindeer - Nunivak
Artist
Edward S. Curtis
(American, 1868 - 1952)
Engraver
Suffolk Engraving Company
(American, active early 20th century)
Datecopyright 1928
Mediumphotogravure on paper
Dimensions17 7/8 × 21 3/4 inches (45.4 × 55.2 cm)
Other (Plate): 13 5/8 × 17 inches (34.6 × 43.2 cm)
Mat: 20 × 24 inches (50.8 × 61 cm)
Other (Plate): 13 5/8 × 17 inches (34.6 × 43.2 cm)
Mat: 20 × 24 inches (50.8 × 61 cm)
Credit LinePurchase of the Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation, 2013
Object number2013.2.20.3
ClassificationsPhotographs
Label TextCaribou and reindeer are the same species. Rangifer tarandus is the scientific name. Caribou is the name in North America, reindeer, in Europe. There are differences; each is a subspecies. Reindeer can be domesticated and herded. In the 1880s, caribou became scarce in Alaska. A missionary to Alaska imported reindeer from Siberia so that Alaska natives could herd and use the animals. Curtis photographed a herd of reindeer. He wrote a caption saying that caribou formerly were of great importance to the people of Nunivak. He felt that the reindeer had entirely superseded the caribou.
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
On View
On view
