Svaneti museum to highlight photographs by famed ethnographers Edward Curtis, Evdokia Kozhevnikova

Georgia's European Museum of the Year-nominated Svaneti Museum is set to host a double exhibition of photographic works by Edward Curtis and Evdokia Kozhevnikova, two acclaimed ethnographers who documented cultures of native tribes during their travels.

Within the display Earthly and Sacred Universes, Curtis' photographs will illustrate the lives and cultures of Native American tribes during the early 20th century, while Kozhevnikova's works will show mountainous Svaneti locals during the same period.

Edward Curtis (1868-1952) is recognised as "the principal storyteller of Native American peoples and cultures” for his legacy of documenting his study of over 80 Native American tribes from 1900-1930.

A Tewa tribe girl named Chaiwa, photographed by Curtis in 1096. Photo: Edward Curtis.

His work involved around 40,000 photographs and 10,000 sound recordings of speech and music of the natives and culminated in the 20-volume magnum opus The North American Indian.

Three displays of photographs taken by Curtis were hosted last month at three Georgian venues - the Tbilisi History Museum (also known as Karvasla), State Silk Museum and Art Palace.

Ethnographer Evdokia Kozhevnikova (1905-1975) graduated from the Saint Petersburg University before travelling to Georgia's remote Svaneti province to catalogue customs, rites and festivals of the locals.

Ethnographer Edward Curtis. Photo: Edward Curtis.

Her work brought together 12,000 pages and three photographic albums illustrating the life of residents of the highland province.

Organised by the Georgian National Museum and supported by the United States Library of Congress, the Georgian-American University and the State Silk Museum.

The display Earthly and Sacred Universes will run at the Svaneti Museum from November 2-February 15.