LUMMIS, Charles Fletcher (1859-1928); [Thomas MORAN (1837-1926, portrait of)]

[Portrait of Thomas Moran]

Silver gelatin print signed by Moran ("T Moran"), inscribed by Moran, "To Miss Helen Ryan," additionally signed in ink by the photographer, "©1922 BY/ Chas T. Lummis." Size: 11 x 7 inches, framed in an 11 1/4 x 7 1/4 inch frame, and matted within an additional 21 1/8 x 16 1/4 inch frame.

An evocative photographic portrait of one of America's most celebrated painters by Lummis, a devoted preservationist who shares Moran's passion for the American West.

The photograph shows the renowned painter at his work, holding his brushes and palette in one hand and turning around only slightly in his chair to look into the camera as if he might turn back to his work at any moment. His look and stance tell of the dedicated artist who continued to produce numerous works well into his senior years. Behind the lens was Charles Fletcher Lummis, a man who shared Moran's passion for the American West. Lummis was best known as a journalist, and an activist for Indigenous peoples' rights and historic preservation. A traveler in the American Southwest, he settled in Los Angeles, California, where he also became known as a historian, photographer, ethnographer, archaeologist, poet, and librarian. Lummis' career began in 1884 when he left behind his Harvard education and embarked on a remarkable 3,507-mile trek alone from Cincinnati to Los Angeles. During his long journey, Lummis shed the biases ingrained in his New England upbringing, replacing them with a profound admiration for the Southwest's natural beauty and cultural richness. As a photographer, Lummis produced photographs and created records of Arizona and New Mexico's Pueblo cultures. He was especially interested in the Tiwa people of Isleta, with whom he stayed. Lummis recorded their dances, ceremonies, songs and myths. In 1891 he returned to Los Angeles, though he periodically made further trips to photograph throughout the Southwest and Peru. Although this portrait of Moran may stand out amid Lummis' oeuvre, the photographer appears to have been a friend of Moran and his family. Upon Moran's death, Lummis wrote to Ruth Moran, Thomas' daughter, expressing his love and condolences writing, "God rest him! And God rest you, now, beloved friend!"

Thompson, American Character: The Curious Life of Charles Fletcher Lummis.

Item #41147

Price: $7,500.00