About Dora Curtis
Lived 1873 – 1920 (aged 46–47). Dora Curtis was an American photographer and painter.
Dora Curtis (1875–1920) was a British artist and a member of the 1914 expedition down the Yenisei River in Siberia to the Kara Sea led by Polish anthropologist Maria Antonina Czaplicka (1886–1921). The other expedition members were Maud Doria Haviland (1889–1941) and Henry Usher Hall of the Philadelphia University Museum (1876–1944).
Haviland dedicated her study, Forest Steppe and Tundra, "to the memory of Dora Curtis and the days and nights we spent together in forest, steppe and tundra".
Early life, education and travels Curtis entered University College London in 1892. She gained a second class degree in Fine Art in 1893 and a £2 prize for figure drawing. She was photographed by Frederick H. Evans in the 1890s.
She travelled to China in 1911.
Her sister Ethel Kibblewhite, was an artist and longtime partner to T.E. Hulme. Together, they hosted an important salon together at 67 Frith Street in their family home. The sculptor Jacob Epstein describes seeing Dora there in his memoirs.
She died in a swimming accident in Las Palmas on 4 July 1920.
Artwork Curtis illustrated several books including:
Jackanapes: And Other Stories (1899) by Juliana Horatia Ewing
Stories from King Arthur and his Round Table (1905)
Granny's Wonderful Chair by Frances Browne (1906 J.M. Dent edition)
Tales for Children from Many Lands. London: J. M. Dent and Sons; New York: E. P. Dutton and Co., 1913.
Jean Baptiste; a Story of French Canada (1915)(frontispiece)
Gallery Images from Granny's Wonderful Chair, published 1906.
Don’t just read it —
keep it.
Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.
- E-book
- Audio
- Video
Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free
Important facts
People in Dora Curtis's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Dora Curtis's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Dora Curtis?
American photographer and illustrator
When was Dora Curtis born?
Dora Curtis was born in 1873.
When did Dora Curtis die?
Dora Curtis died on 4 July 1920.
What was Dora Curtis's occupation?
Dora Curtis was a photographer and painter.
What nationality was Dora Curtis?
Dora Curtis was American.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Dora Curtis. https://biography.guide/dora-curtis/
MLA: "Dora Curtis." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/dora-curtis/.
Chicago: "Dora Curtis." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/dora-curtis/.
Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.
Page generated 2026-09-27 04:59 UTC