Shoshone Falls, Snake River, Idaho
Medium
albumen print
Dimensions
image/sheet: 20 × 27.4 cm (7 7/8 × 10 13/16 in.) mount: 40.2 × 49.5 cm (15 13/16 × 19 1/2 in.)
Classification
Photograph
Department
CPH
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Patrons' Permanent Fund
Accession Number
1995.36.110
Rights
Public Domain
Art Historical Context
**Shoshone Falls, River, Idaho** (1874) captures the majestic power of one of America's natural wonders through the lens of Timothy H. O'Sullivan, a pioneering photographer renowned for his work during the post-Civil War era. O'Sullivan, who gained fame documenting the American Civil War and later geological surveys of the West, ventured into Idaho's rugged Snake River Canyon as part of Lt. George M. Wheeler's expeditions. This albumen print showcases Shoshone Falls—often dubbed the "Niagara of the West" for its greater height—highlighting the awe-inspiring scale of the American frontier durin...
About the Artist
Timothy H. O'Sullivan · 1840–present
Timothy H. O'Sullivan (c. 1840–1882) was a pioneering American photographer whose unflinching lens captured the raw devastation of the Civil War and the sublime vastness of the untamed West. Born in New York City—or possibly Ireland, with his family migrating soon after—his early life remains sparsely documented. As a teenager, he apprenticed under Mathew Brady at the famed daguerreotype studio on...