Iceberg Cañon, Colorado River, Looking Above
Medium
Albumen print, No. 15 from the album "Geographical & Geological Explorations & Surveys West of the 100th Meridian," vol. 2
Dimensions
Image/paper: 20 × 27.4 cm (7 7/8 × 10 13/16 in.); Mount: 38 × 49.8 cm (15 × 19 5/8 in.)
Classification
albumen print from collodion negative
Department
Photography and Media
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
181345
Art Historical Context
Timothy O’Sullivan’s 1871 albumen print captures the dramatic sweep of Iceberg Cañon along the Colorado River, a view made during the U.S. Army’s Geographical and Geological Explorations and Surveys West of the 100th Meridian. As part of Lieutenant George Wheeler’s ambitious mapping expedition, O’Sullivan accompanied scientists and soldiers to record the largely uncharted territories of the American West. His photograph, plate 15 in the official survey album, served both scientific documentation and public education, bringing distant landscapes to Eastern audiences who had never seen them. Pr...
About the Artist
Timothy O'Sullivan · 1840–1882
Timothy H. O'Sullivan (c. 1840–1882) emerged as one of America's pioneering photographers during a transformative era. His early life remains sparsely documented, with records suggesting he was born either in New York City or Ireland before immigrating young, possibly growing up on Staten Island. As a teenager, he apprenticed under Mathew Brady at his Fulton Street gallery in New York, mastering w...