Local writer and journalist Timothy Egan shows images from and discusses his award-winning book, "Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher: The Epic Life and Immortal Photographs of Edward Curtis." Edward Curtis was the Annie Leibovitz of his time -- charismatic and handsome, a passionate mountaineer and famous photographer. In 1900, at 32 years old, he gave it all up to pursue his great idea: to capture the American Indian nation on film before it disappeared.
"Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher" tells the story behind Curtis' iconic photographs. Curtis spent three decades documenting the stories and rituals of more than 80 tribes. His most powerful backer was Theodore Roosevelt, and his patron was J. P. Morgan. He took more than 40,000 photographs, preserved 10,000 audio recordings and is credited with making the first narrative documentary film. In the process, this charming rogue with a grade school education created the most definitive archive of the American Indian.
