The excerpt primarily suggests that Curtis was reluctant to photograph the Sun Dance. He expressed a hesitance in his initial response to Grinnell by saying, "I am loath to bring my camera," indicating his doubts about the value of his photography and the financial implications tied to his work. While it does hint at a potential interest in capturing the event, his reluctance and concerns about the public's interest and the economic realities of his business take precedence. Thus, the text builds on the idea that Curtis was apprehensive about photographing the Sun Dance rather than eager or fully confident about it.
Read the following text from a historical novel. This excerpt is about photographer Edward Curtis.
He worried, in light of the Harriman expedition debt, that his photographs weren't interesting. He worried that his focus, that the subjects that he chose, were falling short of capturing the public's interest. So he was wary when Bird Grinnell wrote to ask if Edward would accompany him on a journey to Montana that next summer to be among the few white men invited to attend the Plains Indian Sun Dance.
"I am loath to bring my camera," Edward wrote back, in acceptance.
"But you must," Grinnell responded.
In purely economic terms Clara could not see how the business could sustain another out-of-pocket cost. Their bread-and-butter, Edward's society portraits of debutantes and heirs, was already showing symptoms of decline owing to his absences.
From Marianne Wiggins, The Shadow Catcher: A Novel. Copyright 2007 by Marianne Wiggins
The previous text suggested that Curtis thought it was important to photograph the Sun Dance. How does this historical novel build on or challenge that idea?
it suggest that Curtis was reluctant to photograph the sun dance
it demonstarates that Curtis didn't know what to expect from the sun dance
it explains why Curtis was so eager to see the sun dance
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