“The Vanishing Race – Navaho,” 1904

Updated August 7, 2026

Curtis’s most iconic image and the opening plate of his life’s work. A line of Navajo riders moves away into a soft, atmospheric haze, their forms dissolving into the landscape. The photograph became the visual symbol of the entire project—the idea of a people “passing into the darkness of an unknown future.” Image size approx. 11¼ × 15¼ inches.A foundational and highly desirable

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