PHOTOGRAPHS
Jackson, William Henry
U.S. (1843 - 1942)
Cone of the Giant
1872
Albumen print
5 x 8 1/16 in. (12.7 x 20.5 cm) image and sheet size; 10 x 11 5/16 in. (25.4 x 28.7 cm) mount board size
Monsen Study Collection of Photography, gift of Joseph and Elaine Monsen
FA 83.24

William Henry Jackson was one of the most important early photographers of the West and is best know for the work he did with the geological surveys of the 1860s and 1870s. Formed of natural scientists, topographers, anthropologists, military engineers, and artists, these teams recorded the new American frontier and provided the first scientifically laid-out maps. The invention of photography (1832) and its prolific use in documenting the Wrest after 1850 was a key element in the development of the American image of the West. Many of Jackson's photographs helped influence Congress to declare Yellowstone a national park. -- Label copy for Shifting Ground: Transformed Views of the American Landscape, February 10 to August 20, 2000.