Creator
WILLIAM BELL (1830-1910)
Title
Grand Canon of the Colorado River, Mouth of Kanab Wash, Looking West
Date
1872
Description
In 1872, Philadelphia photographer Bell replaced O'Sullivan for one year as Wheeler's expedition photographer. The repose of the figure in the photograph was surely intended to disarm the viewer. The figure calls attention to the scale of the surrounding untamed landscape and subtly illustrates humanity's feebleness in comparison, a point Wheeler often made in his published survey reports.
Format
Albumen print
Source
Princeton Collections of Western Americana, Department of Rare Books and Special Collections. Purchase, J. Monroe Thorington Fund.