Friday, October 20, 2023
The American West, 150 Years Ago
In the 1860s and 70s, photographer Timothy O'Sullivan created some of the best-known images in American History. After covering the U.S. Civil War, (many of his photos appear in this earlier series), O'Sullivan joined a number of expeditions organized by the federal government to help document the new frontiers in the American West. The teams were composed of soldiers, scientists, artists, and photographers, and tasked with discovering the best ways to take advantage of the region's untapped natural resources. O'Sullivan brought an amazing eye and work ethic, composing photographs that evoked the vastness of the West. He also documented the Native American population as well as the pioneers who were already altering the landscape. Above all, O'Sullivan captured—for the first time on film—the natural beauty of the American West in a way that would later influence Ansel Adams and thousands more photographers to come.
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Wow! That is an incredible group of photos that really take you back to an age not that long ago, showing just how much has so significantly changed in such a relatively short period of time, seeing how many of us have lived nearly half those 150 years.
ReplyDeleteThanks for such a great find, Ken. You deliver some real gems on your site.
Some amazing photos.
ReplyDeleteJust Wow. I've seen a lot of photos of the old west but none of these.
ReplyDeleteWow, Pics 28, 30 of the Little and Big Cottonwood canyons look so different than today! Major ski resorts are up both canyons. I wonder what happened to the Alta City? In my years in Salt Lake City, traveling up to Alta ski area, I never saw any signs or traces of a city up there. Great pics as I have been to many of these areas when I lived out West!
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Excellent, thank you for linking that.
ReplyDeleteThese photos are simply amazing! Thank you for the link.
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