The Church of San Miguel, the Oldest in Santa Fe, N.M.
Medium
Albumen print, from the album "Geographical & Geological Explorations & Surveys West of the 100th Meridian," vol. 2
Dimensions
Image/page: 27.7 × 20.2 cm (10 15/16 × 8 in.); Album page: 49.7 × 38.3 cm (19 5/8 × 15 1/8 in.)
Classification
albumen print from collodion negative
Department
Photography and Media
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
181379
Art Historical Context
Timothy O’Sullivan’s 1873 albumen print captures the weathered adobe façade of the Church of San Miguel, long regarded as the oldest church in Santa Fe. Created during Lt. George Wheeler’s Geographical and Geological Survey West of the 100th Meridian, the photograph belongs to a multi-volume government report intended to document the landscapes, resources, and settlements of the American Southwest. O’Sullivan, already celebrated for his Civil War images, brought the same clarity and restraint to this western assignment, recording architecture that spoke to centuries of Spanish colonial presenc...
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...