A Note About Our Images
How the Camp Keeper photographs a copper plate for the web
The images on this website are carefully prepared to represent the original Edward S. Curtis copper photogravure plates as faithfully as possible for online viewing. Original plate photographs are used whenever available.
Because copper plates are reflective, three-dimensional objects, every digital image requires some degree of photographic and digital adjustment — including perspective correction, color balancing, and lighting — to accurately convey the appearance of the original plate on a two-dimensional screen.
In cases where only historical photographs of the engraved image exist, digital reconstruction may also be used to restore the appearance of the complete plate, including its border and beveled edge. These enhancements are intended solely to present the original object more faithfully, not to alter or reinterpret it.
No digital image can fully duplicate the experience of examining an original copper plate in person.
For collectors who wish to appreciate the plate’s depth, reflectivity, condition, and craftsmanship, we are pleased to provide a live Zoom presentation before purchase. The plate you see on screen and the plate you see on Zoom are the same object — one just moves.