Collection Guide
Collection Title:
Collection Number:
Get Items:
Jackson (William Henry) photograph of Arkansas River at Royal Gorge
7149
View entire collection guide
Search this collection
Table of contents
Contributing Institution:
USC Libraries Special Collections
Title: William Henry Jackson photograph of Arkansas River at Royal Gorge
Creator:
Jackson, William Henry, 1843-1942
Identifier/Call Number: 7149
Identifier/Call Number: /repositories/3/resources/3434
Physical Description:
1.58 Linear Feet
1 box
Date: 1886
Physical Description: Albumen photograph measuring 6.75 x 10.25 inches, mounted on larger photographer's board with handwritten text beneath: "The
Royal Gorge-Arkansas River-Colo." Verso reads "Denver and Rio Grande R.R. Colo-Apr 1886." Bottom of photograph reads: "The
Royal Gorge 3170 W.H.J. & C." Light sunning across photo does not affect image. Small Gears to photographer's board does not
affect image or text. Very good condition.
Language of Material:
English
.
Container: 1
An 1886 albumen photograph of the Arkansas River at the Royal Gorge in Colorado. The photograph was taken by William Henry
Jackson (1843-1942), American photographer, Civil War veteran, painter, and an explorer famous for his images of the American
West. The sepia-toned photograph shows railroad tacks running along the riverbank, high rock walls on either side with steel
beams between them in the distance. The landscape appears treacherous and the appearance of the railway, the human labor it
suggests, improbable. In 1869 Union Pacific Railroad hired Jackson to document scenes from the American West in an effort
to promote travel on the railway. His photography gained recognition, leading to subsequent commissions, and was instrumental
both in the development of the railroads and in Congress establishing the nation's first park at Yellowstone. His efforts
were instrumental in the movement of westward expansion facilitated by the government and private corporations. Photography
at the time was cumbersome under studio conditions, but Jackson had not such luxuries. It took a team of 5-7 men to carry
the equipment and photographs were developed onsite under physically challenging conditions. Jackson once lost a month's work
when a mule lost its footing on a narrow mountain pass.
Advance notice required for access.
All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Department of Special
Collections at specol@usc.edu. Permission for publication is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical
items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.
Rights Statement for Archival Description
Finding aid description and metadata are licensed under an Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Purchased from Max Rambod Inc., August 7, 2023.
William Henry Jackson photographs, Collection no. 0259, Special Collections, USC Libraries, University of Southern California
[Box/folder no. or item name], William Henry Jackson photograph of Arkansas River at Royal Gorge, Collection no. 7149, Regional
History Collection, Special Collections, USC Libraries, University of Southern California
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Arkansas River -- Photographs
Colorado -- Photographs
Royal Gorge (Colo.) -- Photographs
West (U.S.) -- Photographs
Albumen prints
Photographs
Jackson, William Henry, 1843-1942 -- Photographs