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
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, ...
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...