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Early American West photograph collection

Call Number

PR 266

Date

circa 1861-1900, inclusive

Creator

New-York Historical Society (Role: Collector)

Extent

3.42 Linear feet (4 boxes & 3 flat files)

Language of Materials

The material in the collection is photographic, but any text is in English.

Abstract

The Early American West Photograph Collection spans the period from circa 1861-1900 and primarily contains photographs of landscapes of the American west taken by F. Jay Haynes, William Henry Jackson, Andrew J. Russell, Isaiah West Taber and Carleton E. Watkins.

Historical Note

The American west was an understandable draw for early photographers. Its grand, unspoiled views inspired artists and captured the imaginations of patrons willing to purchase such images. These stunning views of the western landscape are only made more impressive when one considers the work that went into creating them. Photographers traveled long distances with heavy equipment, worked in makeshift darkrooms coating massive glass plates, exposing and developing their photographs in the field. The fact that any of these images survived is a testament to the skill of photographers willing to take up the challenge of documenting the American west.

Photographers represented in this collection include:

F. Jay Haynes (1853-1921), a studio photographer from the North Dakota Territory, was commissioned in 1876 to photograph along the route of the Northern Pacific Railroad. Working from a railroad car equipped with a darkroom and studio, Haynes captured images of natural scenery as well as the transformation of the west by the railroad. In 1884 he opened a studio and gallery in Yellowstone, selling photographs of the park's scenery to tourists and serving as the official photographer of Yellowstone National Park.

William Henry Jackson (1843-1942) began his career at the age of 15 as a photographic retoucher and colorist. In 1862 Jackson enlisted in the Union Army. After his service he traveled west, opening a studio in Omaha, Nebraska with his brother Edward. The studio specialized in portrait photography, a subject that held little interest for Jackson. In 1869, he focused on his love of the landscape, traveling with A.C. Hull and photographing the Union Pacific Railroad, the new settlements along the line, and the surrounding landscape. He was soon hired on as a photographer for the U.S. Geological Survey of the Territories, commissioned by Professor Ferdinand Hayden, and photographed expeditions from 1870-1877.

After funding for Hayden's surveys was discontinued, Jackson relocated to Denver, Colorado, where he opened a new studio. There he worked primarily as a landscape photographer, selling images from his travels and creating new work. In 1897, Jackson became a partner in the Detroit Photographic Company, which produced postcards and other printed material. He continued to work, photographing, painting murals and writing two autobiographies, until his death in 1942.

Andrew J. Russell (1830-1902) became the first member of the armed services to officially photograph the Civil War. The majority of his work was done for the Military Railroad, documenting transportation and engineering projects as well as battle sites. Russell left the army in 1865 and found work with the Union Pacific Railroad Company, documenting the construction of a transcontinental railroad. He left the Union Pacific Railroad in 1870 and returned to New York. There he opened a studio and never traveled west again.

Isaiah West Taber (1830-1912), after working for a photographic studio from 1864-1871, opened his own gallery in San Francisco. There he worked as both a photographer and publisher, printing and distributing his own work and the work of others. In the 1870s, Taber acquired and printed negatives from Carleton Watkins after Watkins went bankrupt. These images were printed in Taber's name though many still bear Watkins numbers and titles. The 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire destroyed the majority of Taber's stock and ended his career.

Carleton E. Watkins (1829-1916) traveled to California in 1851, during the gold rush, with his friend C. P. Huntington. After studying photography with Robert Vance, Watkins opened his own practice, photographing up and down the Pacific Coast, as well as taking spectacular images of Yosemite. Unfortunately his business skills were less spectacular and he declared bankruptcy in 1875, losing his studio and negatives to Isaiah Taber.

Watkins continued to photograph, attempting to create a new series of views and rebuild his inventory. He revisited locations he photographed in the 1860s, calling the images "Watkins New Series." By the mid-1890s Watkins' eyesight was failing. In 1906 he lost his new work when the San Francisco earthquake destroyed his studio. Watkins was admitted to the Napa State Hospital in 1910, where he died six years later.

Arrangement

Photographs are divided into series by size and arranged alphabetically first by photographer, then by geographic location.

Scope and Content Note

The Early American West Photograph Collection spans the period from circa 1861-1900 and primarily contains photographs of the American west taken by F. Jay Haynes, William Henry Jackson, Andrew J. Russell, Isaiah West Taber and Carleton E. Watkins. The collection contains several mammoth plate albumen prints by Jackson and Watkins, which are listed by title in the folder list. The collection is divided into four series by size: 8 x 10 Inches & Smaller; 11 x 14 Inches; 16 x 20 Inches; 22 x 28 Inches.

Series I. 8 x 10 Inches & Smaller contains photographs by the following photographers: F. Jay Haynes, William Henry Jackson, Isaiah West Taber and Carleton E. Watkins. The photographs taken by F. Jay Haynes are images of Yellowstone National Park. Photographs taken by William Henry Jackson are souvenir cabinet cards of Colorado. Locations include Boulder, Central City, Colorado Springs, Denver, Georgetown, Idaho Springs, Leadville and Silverton. Portrait images by Jackson, as well as other, unidentified photographers, show photographers and artists working in the western landscape.Isaiah West Taber photographs are all images of California and include photographs of Healdsburg, Los Angeles, Menlo Park, Monterey, Napa, San Diego, San Francisco, San Gabriel, San Rafael and Yosemite Valley. Photographs taken by Carleton Watkins include images of Arizona, California and Nevada. Many of these prints are from "Watkins' New Boudoir Series."

Series II. 11 x 14 Inches contains ten photographs by William Henry Jackson. Nine images are from the Hayden Survey. A single image appears to have been taken in New Mexico and is not part of the Hayden Survey photographs.

Series III. 16 x 20 Inches is comprised of albumen photographs by William Henry Jackson and Andrew J. Russell. Jackson's photographs were taken in Colorado, New Mexico and Utah and are primarily scenic views. Andrew J. Russell photographs are all images of Utah.

Series IV. 22 x 28 Inches contains albumen photographs by William Henry Jackson and Carleton Watkins. Jackson's images are all scenic views of Colorado. Carleton Watkins photographs are all images of Oregon and Yosemite Valley. The titles given were transcribed from handwritten notes on each print.

Access Restrictions

For more information on making arrangements to consult the collection, please visit www.nyhistory.org/library/visit.

Use Restrictions

Taking images of documents from the library collections for reference purposes by using hand-held cameras and in accordance with the library's photography guidelines is encouraged. As an alternative, patrons may request up to 20 images per day from staff.

Application to use images from this collection for publication should be made in writing to: Department of Rights and Reproductions, The New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024-5194, rightsandrepro@nyhistory.org. Phone: (212) 873-3400 ext. 282.

Copyrights and other proprietary rights may subsist in individuals and entities other than the New-York Historical Society, in which case the patron is responsible for securing permission from those parties. For fuller information about rights and reproductions from N-YHS visit: https://www.nyhistory.org/about/rights-reproductions

Preferred Citation

This collection should be cited as: Early American West Photograph Collection, PR 266, Department of Prints, Photographs, and Architectural Collections, The New-York Historical Society.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The collection is made up of multiple purchases and gifts. Several cabinet cards came from donor George T. Bagoe.

Related Material at the Department of Prints, Photographs, and Architectural Collections

There are additional photographs of the west, some by photographers in this collection, in the Stereograph File (PR 065), the Postcard File (PR 054) and the Geographic File (PR 020). There are also photographs by William Henry Jackson in the Detroit Publishing Company Collection (PR 272) and in the Photographer File (PR 050).

Collection processed by

Kelly McAnnaney

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-21 15:46:41 -0400.
Language: Description is in English.

Processing Information

The collection was processed by Kelly McAnnaney, circa 2008.

Repository

New-York Historical Society
New-York Historical Society
170 Central Park West
New York, NY 10024