Early western survey photographers

I'm looking for sources of biographical information on early Western

survey photographers such as William Henry Jackson, and Timothy H.

O'Sullivan.

 

Thanks

Hi,

I recommend three books about William Henry Jackson:

 

First, his autobiography, "Time Exposure"

Second, "William Henry Jackson: Framing the Frontier" by Douglas Waitely. A readable biography, though somewhat superficial.

Third, "William Henry Jackon and the Transformation of the American Landscape," by Peter B. Hales. A more rigorous biography.

 

Another book deals more broadly with the role of photography in the opening of the American West. It's entitled "Era of Exploration: The Rise of Landscape Photography in the American West," by Weston Naef.

 

I believe the first three are still in print, but I'm not sure about the fourth one.

 

Finally, a 1999 exhibit showed how the pioneering landscape photographers laid the groundwork for Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, and others who followed. The exhibit was entitled, "In Praise of Nature: Ansel Adams and Photographers of the American West." The catalog was published by the Dayton Art Institute, and has the same title.

 

Hope these suggestions help. . . have fun!

The Metropolitan Museum in New York hosted a Carleton Watkins exhibit about a year ago and produced a catalogue and CD-ROM. The CD was supposed to reproduce Watkins' stereo images with red/blue glasses, but it didn't work for me when I looked at the demo, and even if it did, the effect would probably not be the same as with a stereoscope. I did not purchase the catalogue, because I didn't want the reproductions to distort my memory of the original prints, but I am told the introductory essay is very good.

search for the book "Timothy O'Sullivan: America's Forgotten Photographer" c. 1975