Creator
TIMOTHY O'SULLIVAN (1840-1882)
Title
Black Canon, Colorado River from Camp 8, Looking Above
Date
1871
Description
O'Sullivan was also hired by military engineer Lt. George M. Wheeler's (1842-1905) as a survey photographer for the Geographical and Geological Explorations and Surveys West of the 100th Meridian in 1871, 1873, and 1874. He took the photograph displayed here during the 1871 expedition up the Colorado River. Although the scene conveys tranquility, Wheeler, and presumably also O'Sullivan, intended it to express exactly the opposite. In a caption, Wheeler refers to the canyon's "somber shadows which are perpetual in its depths" and to the "perils and fatigues encountered on [the] journey."
Format
Albumen print
Source
Graphic Arts Collection, Department of Rare Books and Special Collections.