Plate 18. Valley of the Little Laramie River

Art Historical Context

Step into the vast American West *Plate 18. Valley the Little Laramie*, an 1869 albumen print Andrew Joseph Russell. Captured amid the historic construction of the transcontinental railroad, this image showcases the rugged beauty of Wyoming's Little Laramie Valley, a key stretch along the Union Pacific route. Russell, a Civil War veteran turned official photographer for the railroad, documented the engineering marvels and untamed landscapes that symbolized America's push westward, culminating in the 1869 Golden Spike ceremony that linked the nation coast to coast. The albumen print medium—made by coating paper with egg whites and silver salts—brings Russell's scene to life with exquisite detail, warm tones, and a luminous quality prized in 19th-century photography. Measuring 21.9 × 31.1 cm, this intimate yet expansive view invites viewers to ponder the harmony between human ambition and nature's grandeur. Housed in the National Gallery of Art, thanks to the Avalon and New Century Funds, it stands as a testament to photography's role in shaping perceptions of the frontier, blending artistry with historical record-keeping for generations of museum-goers.

About the Artist

Andrew Joseph Russell · 1830–1902

Andrew Joseph Russell (1829–1902) was a pioneering American photographer whose work captured the raw drama of the Civil War and the monumental engineering of the transcontinental railroad. Born on March 20, 1829, in Walpole, New Hampshire, to Joseph Russell and Harriet Robinson, he grew up in Nunda, New York, where he developed an early passion for painting, creating portraits, landscapes, and eve...