Group of Pah-Ute Indians, Nevada
Medium
Albumen print, from the album "Geographical & Geological Explorations & Surveys West of the 100th Meridian," vol. 1
Dimensions
Image/paper: 20.1 × 27.4 cm (7 15/16 × 10 13/16 in.); Mount: 29.3 × 49.9 cm (11 9/16 × 19 11/16 in.)
Classification
albumen silver print
Department
Photography and Media
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
140418
Rights
Public Domain
Art Historical Context
In 1871, Timothy O'Sullivan captured *Group of Pah-Ute, Nevada* during the U.S. Army's ambitious Geographical and Geological Explorations and Surveys West of the 100 Meridian, led by Lieutenant George Wheeler. This expedition mapped the uncharted American West, documenting landscapes, geology, and Indigenous peoples amid rapid westward expansion. O'Sullivan, a Civil War veteran and pioneering photographer, produced stark, unromanticized images that brought the remote frontier to policymakers and the public back East. This albumen silver print, measuring about 8 x 11 inches on a larger mount, exemplifies 19th-century wet-collodion photography. O'Sullivan coated glass negatives with albumen (egg white) emulsion for exceptional detail and warm sepia tones, then printed positives on paper sensitized with silver salts. His portraits of the Paiute (Pah-Ute) people in Nevada offer rare ethnographic glimpses, humanizing Native communities during a era of displacement and conflict. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Photography and Media department, the image underscores photography's role in scientific surveys and cultural documentation, blending artistry with historical record-keeping. It invites us to reflect on the Paiutes' resilience amid profound change.
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...