The Wild West photographed by Edward S. Curtis who dedicated his life to it

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Curtis tirelessly worked with the belief he was studying a dying race
Between 1906 and 1930 he traveled on foot and on horse to document Native Americans
He accumulated about 40,000 negatives
100 rarely-seen photos now feature in new book Edward S. Curtis: One Hundred Masterworks

By Dailymail.com Reporter

Published: 16:12 EST, 12 July 2015 | Updated: 09:57 EST, 13 July 2015

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His work infamously captured the essence of the American west and Native American culture.

And now a new retrospective book is putting the stunning photographs of celebrated ethnologist Edward S. Curtis back in focus.

The book, curated by Christopher Cardozo, is a collection of 100 of Curtis' prints.

'Curtis is sometimes viewed simply as an ethnographic photographer, overlooking his gifts as a practitioner of fine-art photography,' Cardozo wrote in the book's introduction, The Daily Beast reported.

'He realized that he could not only preserve a record of the history, culture, and profound humanity of Native peoples but felt absolutely compelled to do so before they vanished forever.'

Between 1906 and 1930, Curtis, originally from Wisconsin, was commissioned to document the Native American culture.

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Historical: The work of photographer and ethnologist Edward S. Curtis - who spent almost 30 years documenting Native Americans in the South West - is back in focus thanks to a new book by curator Christopher Cardozo

Moody: This photo, called 'Waiting in the Forest', was taken by Curtis in Cheyenne, Wyoming, in 1910. It is just one in the new book

This 1905 photo, 'Sioux Mother and Child', is accompanied by an essay that notes the references children being taken away to boarding schools run by the U.S. government

Ethnography: Between 1906 and 1930, Curtis, originally from Wisconsin, was commissioned to document the Native American culture

The photo study was commissioned by JP Morgan, who handed over what Cardozo believes - by today's standards - would be about $35 million for the project,The Chicago Tribune reported.

Curtis spent most of those years in Arizona, New Mexico and the Plains states.

The result was about 40,000 negatives, which were edited down to a collection of 2,234 photographs and more than 5,000 pages of text.

While the work has long been celebrated, it has also been attacked for pushing a romantic and unrealistic portrait of Native Americans.

Cardozo has has written eight books on Edward Curtis, and created and curated Curtis exhibitions seen in over 40 countries.

Edward S. Curtis: One Hundred Masterworks is out now.

Edward S. Curtis directed In the Land of the Head Hunters

Showcasing Edward S Curtis's compelling and important works, the publication highlights both iconic and rarely seen images

Edward S. Curtis, seen left in a self-portrait, believed that he was documenting a dying race. Each year he would and take pictures and stories in the Indian territories, traveling by foot and horse