Inventory of the Timothy H. O'Sullivan Photographs, 1868-1873
[top]Descriptive Summary
Repository
Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library, Duke
University
Creator
O'Sullivan, Timothy H., 1840-1882
Title
Timothy H. O'Sullivan Photographs, 1868-1873
Language of Material
Material in English
Extent
1.6 Linear Feet
35 Items
Abstract
35 Items
Timothy H. O'Sullivan was an important early American photographer who participated in two geographical surveys of the American West.
Collection includes thirty-five gold-toned albumen prints made from glass plate negatives. O'Sullivan made these photographs as part of the King and Wheeler surveys between 1868 and 1873. Main subjects of the photographs are geological and geographical features of Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming. Collection also contains four photographs of mining operations and two photographs of the Zuni Pueblo in New Mexico.
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Administrative Information
Access RestrictionsCollection is open for research.
However, collection may contain materials to which the Acknowledgment of Legal Responsibilities and Privacy Rights form applies. Patrons must sign this form before using this collection.
Also, all or portions of this collection may be housed off-site in Duke University's Library Service Center. Consequently, there may be a 24-hour delay in obtaining these materials.
Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library to use this collection.
Copyright Notice
The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the copyright section of the Regulations and Procedures of the Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Timothy H. O'Sullivan Photographs, Rare Book,
Manuscript, and Special Collections Library, Duke University.
Provenance
The Timothy H. O'Sullivan Photographs were received by the Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library as a
purchase in 1972.
These and other photographs by western expeditionary photographers were purchased from Lowdermilk's bookstore in Washington, D.C. prior to its liquidation.
Processing Information
This collection was previously processed by Bill Erwin in 1982. Erwin conducted a great deal of research used to identify photographs made by western expeditionary photographers. Every effort was made to retain both the organization and informational aspects of his work except when they conflicted with more modern practices.
Information folders contain copies of earlier catalog records and bibliographic information for related sources including sources in which these photographs have been published.
Additional folders contain photocopies of photographs annotated by the National Archives, and reference prints made from copy negatives held in this collection.
Quotation marks were used to indicate information taken directly from the photographs.
When photographs were identified as O'Sullivan's by comparison with negatives held at the National Archives the relevant negative number has been provided.
Processed by Chris Black, November 24, 2004
Encoded by Chris Black, Michael Shumate
Completed September 2006
Accession is described in this finding aid.
Descriptive sources and standards used to create this inventory: DACS, EAD, NCEAD guidelines, and our local Style Guide.
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Biographical Note
Chronology List| 1840 | Born in Ireland |
| circa 1856-1861 | Apprenticed under Mathew Brady and Alexander Gardner |
| 1861-1865 | Photographed the Civil War, sometimes for Matthew Brady and Alexander Gardner |
| 1867-1869, 1872 | Photographed for the King Expedition |
| 1870 | Became photographer for the Darien Survey, which explored possible routes for the Panama Canal |
| 1871, 1873-1875 | Photographed for the Wheeler Expedition |
| 1880 | Appointed official photographer for the U.S. Treasury Department, but retired shortly thereafter for health reasons |
| 1882 Jan. 14 | Died at West Brighton, Staten Island, N.Y. |
Collection Overview
During his brief career, Timothy H. O'Sullivan
made many compelling photographs, and in doing so established
himself as one of the most important figures in early
American photography. This collection includes thirty-five
gold-toned albumen prints, resulting from glass plate
negatives O'Sullivan made as he photographed the American
west for the King and Wheeler surveys between 1868 and
1873. The geological and geographical features of Arizona,
California, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming are the subjects most
heavily represented in this collection. The collection also
contains four photographs of mining operations and two
photographs of the Zuni Pueblo in New Mexico. The
collection is arranged into two series: the
King Expeditions Series and the
Wheeler Expeditions Series. Both
series are arranged chronologically.
Clarence King's Expedition officially bore the
title: "The Geological Exploration of the 40th Parallel."
King planned to explore a hundred-mile wide swath from the
eastern slopes of the Sierra Nevada Mountains across the
Great Basin to the Rocky Mountains, eastern Colorado to the
California line. This collection includes nine photographs
from King's expeditions in 1868 (1), 1869 (6), and 1872
(2).
In 1871, George Montague Wheeler, topographical
engineer, took charge of "The Survey of the Territory of
the United States West of the 100th Meridian." The field
work conducted for this survey involved fourteen trips
during 1871-1879. The primary object of the survey was to
complete topographical mapping of the country, much of it
largely unexplored, but the scope of the work eventually
extended to include exhaustive investigation of geological,
zoological, and ethnological matters. Publication of the
definitive Report upon United States
Geographical Surveys West of the One-Hundredth
Meridian took place between 1875 and 1889.
O'Sullivan made photographs on several of these
expeditions. This series includes 26 photographs, from the
expeditions of 1871 (18) 1873 (8).
More so than other western expeditionary
photographers, Timothy O'Sullivan explored alternative
strategies of photographic composition. O'Sullivan created
unique compositions through the conscious ordering and
visual presentation of bold forms, which emphasized the
abstract qualities of the landscape. Several photographs in
this collection reveal the formal qualities of O'Sullivan's
photographs. These images contrast with the great volume of more picturesque
landscapes made by other western expeditionary
photographers, although O'Sullivan did make a number of
photographs that emphasized natural beauty over form.
O'Sullivan was also interested in recording evidence of
human interaction with the environment. For example
THO.P17 juxtaposes the passing of geological time with
evidence of recent human explorations. A photograph also
contained in this collection, and of intrinsic interest,
THO.P15, reveals visible brush strokes providing evidence
of the technique used to coat glass plate negatives.
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Subject Headings
These are searchable subject entries for this collection. Performing a search on these subjects in the Duke University Libraries online catalog will bring up other related research materials.
- O'Sullivan, Timothy H., 1840-1882.
- King, Clarence, 1842-1901.
- Wheeler, George M. (George Montague), 1842-1905.
- Geographical Survey (U.S.)
- Documentary photography.
- Photographers.
- Landscape photography--West (U.S.)
- Southwest, New--Pictorial works.
- Southwest, New--Discovery and exploration.
- West (U.S.)--Pictorial works.
- West (U.S.)--Discovery and exploration.
- Photographs.
- Albumen prints.
Related Material
The following collections in the Duke University Rare Book, Manuscript
and Special Collections Library may contain related material:
William Bell Photographs,
1872
John K. Hillers Photographs,
1871-1889 and undated
William Henry Jackson Photographs,
1869-1878 and undated
 | List of Series in Collection | |||||||
 |  | King Expeditions Series, 1868-1872 | ||||||
 | | Wheeler Expeditions Series, 1871, 1873 | ||||||
Description of Series/Container List
King Expeditions Series, 1868-1872
(1 box)
Box THO.1
Print THO.P1
1868
"120" (lower right
corner) Lake Marian, Summits of East Humboldt Mountains,
Nevada
8 x 11
inch print mounted on a 16 x 20 inch board
Print
THO.P2
*
(source: similar to No. 123 in
American
Frontiers, p. 83, but from a different angle.)
National Archives Number: 77-KN-16
:
1869
"16" (lower left
corner) Echo Canyon, Utah. Tertiary Bluffs.
8 x
10.75-11 inch print mounted on a 16 x 20 inch board
Print
THO.P3
*
(source: comparison with Plate 63, Vol. I,
of bound photographs of King Survey, National Archives)
1869
"18" (lower right
corner) Tertiary Conglomerates, Weber Valley, Utah.
8 x
10.75-11 inch print mounted on a 16 x 20 inch board
Print
THO.P4
*
(source: In American Frontiers, p.69)
1869
Tertiary
Conglomerates, Weber Valley, Utah.
8 x
10.75-11 inch print mounted on a 16 x 20 inch board
Print
THO.P5
*
(source: by comparison with THO.P3)
1869
Cottonwood Lake,
Wasatch Range, Utah.
8 x
10.75-11 inch print mounted on a 16 x 20 inch board
Print
THO.P6
*
(source: In American Frontiers, p. 100,
but from a different angle)
The Falls of the
Provo in Utah. Probably 1869.
8 x
10.75-11 inch print mounted on a 16 x 20 inch board
Print
THO.P7
*
(source: similar to No. 102 in Timothy
O'Sullivan, America's Forgotten Photographer, p. 176.
Mount Agassiz in
Utah. Probably 1869.
8 x
10.75-11 inch print mounted on a 16 x 20 inch board
Print
THO.P8
*
(source: different angle from view in
Timothy O'Sullivan, America's Forgotten Photographer,
p.178)
1872
Cañon of Lodore,
Green River, Wyoming.
8 x
10.75-11 inch print mounted on a 16 x 20 inch board
Print
THO.P9
*
(source: comparison with Plate 51, Vol.1,
of bound photographs of King Survey, National Archives.
Original negative number was 72.)
1872
"50" (lower right
corner) Horseshoe Canyon, Green River, Wyoming.
8 x
10.75-11 inch print mounted on a 16 x 20 inch board
*
(source: the lower left corner of this
photograph matches part of the scene in the view on p. 99
in American Frontiers. Silting on the edges of the river is
identical.)
copy negative available: THO.N9
Wheeler Expeditions Series, 1871, 1873
(3 boxes)
Box THO.1
Print THO.P10
1871
"No. 1. Snow Peaks,
Bull Run Mining District, Nevada"
8 x
10.75-11 inch print mounted on a 16 x 20 inch board
Print
THO.P11
1871
"No. 4. Black Cañon,
Colorado River, Looking Below From Big Horn Camp"
8 x
10.75-11 inch print mounted on a 16 x 20 inch board
Box THO.2
Print THO.P12
1871
"No. 6. Black Cañon,
Colorado River, Looking Below, Near Camp 7"
8 x
10.75-11 inch print mounted on a 16 x 20 inch board
copy negative available: THO.N12
Print
THO.P13
1871
"No. 7. Black Cañon,
Colorado River, Looking Below, Near Camp 7"
8 x
10.75-11 inch print mounted on a 16 x 20 inch board
Print
THO.P14
1871
"No. 10. Entrance to
Black Cañon, Colorado River"
8 x
10.75-11 inch print mounted on a 16 x 20 inch board
Print
THO.P15
1871
"No. 12. Cereus
Giganteus, Arizona"
8 x
10.75-11 inch print mounted on a 16 x 20 inch board
Print
THO.P16
1871
"No. 13. Water
Rhyolites, Near Logan Springs, Nevada"
8 x
10.75-11 inch print mounted on a 16 x 20 inch board
Print
THO.P17
1871
"No. 14. Rock Carved
by Drifiting Sand, Below Fortification Rock, Arizona"
8 x
10.75-11 inch print mounted on a 16 x 20 inch board
Print
THO.P18
1871
"No. 15. Iceberg
Cañon, Colorado River, Looking Above"
8 x
10.75-11 inch print mounted on a 16 x 20 inch board
Print
THO.P19
1871
"No.16. Alpine Lake
in the Sierra Nevada, California"
8 x
10.75-11 inch print mounted on a 16 x 20 inch board
Print
THO.P20
*
Appears as a print in Wheeler's Report
upon United States Geographical Surveys West of the One
Hundreth Meridian Vol. I, p. 40 (plate II).
1871
"No. 94. Music Mt.
From Truxton Springs, A. T., Arizona Series"
8 x
10.75-11 inch print mounted on a 16 x 20 inch board
Print
THO.P21
National Archives number: 106-WB-29 :
1871
No. 7. Fifteen Stamp
Mill, Mineral Hill, Nevada
8 x 10.5
inch print mounted on a 16 x 20 inch board.
Print
THO.P22
National Archives Number: 106-WB-13 :
1871
No.13. Canfield's
Mill, Belmont, Nevada
8 x 10.5
inch print mounted on a 16 x 20 inch board.
copy negative available: THO.N22
Print
THO.P23
National Archives number 106-WB-27 :
1871
No. 28. Quartz
Formation near Silver Cañon, Pahranaget, Lake District,
Nevada
8 x 10.5
inch print mounted on a 16 x 20 inch board.
Box THO.3
Print THO.P24
National Archives number 106-WB-47 :
1871
No. 47. Meadow Valley
Mining Co.'s Works, Dry Valley, Nevada
8 x 10.5
inch print mounted on a 16 x 20 inch board.
Print
THO.P25
National Archives number 106-WB-12 :
1871
Combination Mill,
Belmont, Nevada.
8 x 10.5
inch print mounted on a 16 x 20 inch board.
Print
THO.P26
1871
Death Valley,
California. In Timothy O'Sullivan, America's Forgotten
Photographer, p. 242
8 x 10.5
inch print mounted on a 16 x 20 inch board.
Print
THO.P27
National Archives number
106-WB-65:
1871
No. 65. Quartz
Formation near Silver Cañon Pahranaget, Lake District
Nevada. Or Part of Hyko Mining District Nevada. Left side
overlaps with right side of No. 28
8 x
10.75-11 inch print mounted on a 16 x 20 inch board
Print
THO.P28
1873
"No. 1. Apache Lake,
Sierra Blanca Range, Arizona"
8 x
10.75-11 inch print mounted on a 16 x 20 inch board
Print
THO.P29
1873
"No. 2. View on
Apache Lake, Sierra Blanca Range, Arizona"
8 x
10.75-11 inch print mounted on a 16 x 20 inch board
Print
THO.P30
1873
"No. 4. North Fork
Cañon, Sierra Blanca Creek, Arizona"
8 x
10.75-11 inch print mounted on a 16 x 20 inch board
Print
THO.P31
1873
"No. 8. Historic
Spanish Record of the Conquest, South Side of Inscription
Rock, N.M."
8 x
10.75-11 inch print mounted on a 16 x 20 inch board
Print
THO.P32
1873
"No. 12. Looking
Across the Colorado River to Mouth of Paria Creek"
8 x
10.75-11 inch print mounted on a 16 x 20 inch board
Print
THO.P33
1873
"No. 16. Head of
Cañon de Chelle, Looking Down, Walls about 1200 feet in
height" [Arizona]
8 x
10.75-11 inch print mounted on a 16 x 20 inch board
copy negative available: THO.N33
Print
THO.P34
1873
"No. 17. Indian
Pueblo, Zuni, N.M. View from the South"
8 x
10.75-11 inch print mounted on a 16 x 20 inch board
Print
THO.P35
1873
"No. 18. Old Mission
Church, Zuni Pueblo, N.M. View from the Plaza"
8 x
10.75-11 inch print mounted on a 16 x 20 inch board
