View from Point Lookout; Chickamagua Battlefield 1902

William Henry Jackson was born in Keesville, NY in 1850.
He lived and worked all over the United States.
He died in 1949 from a fall.

Known for:
Large format photographs of the American West while working for the Western Railroads in the 1870s.
He chronicled the American landscape especially of Jackson, Wyoming and Yellowstone National Park.
He also pioneered the first commercial color process, photo chromolithography (ink on paper).

Most Popular Images:
Grand Canyon, Yellowstone National Park, Colorado Railroads, San Francisco, Western landscapes.

Did you know ... ?
• In 1872, Jackson's photographs of Yellowstone were used by Congress to establish it as the first National Park.
• Though printed in the 19th and 20th centuries, A Gallery for Fine Photography's collection of William Henry Jackson photographs are in mint condition thanks to Jackson's bankruptcy. He sold his photographs to F.J. Haynes who stored the photographs in one of his studios where they remained, untouched for over 60 years until 1980.
• He often had his own railroad car as he traveled.
• Ansel Adams admired the work.

Quote:
“I sought my subjects from the house-tops, and finally from the hill-tops and about the surrounding country; the taste strengthening as my successes became greater in proportion to the failures."

"Most of all, it was a matter of money."

General Format:
Some smaller Silver gelatin photographs (8" x 10")
Panoramas- seamlessly pieced together in a darkroom with 16" x 20" glass-plate negatives.
Photo Chromolithographs- 7" x 9" or smaller and 7" x 20" panoramas.
Single Albumens- generally 16" x 20", mounted.
Stereographs- generally 3" x 3"

How many photographs exist?
Albumen prints- (5" x 7" & 16" x 20"): 1 - 20 of each image.
Large Panoramas- (hand-colored or black & white): 1 - 5 of each image.
Photo Chromolithographs- (7" x 9" or smaller): approximately 50 - 100 of each negative were made though less than 50 of each have survived.

Prices:
Single Image (5" x 7" - 16" x 20"): Panoramas:
Albumen: $1,500 - $15,000 Albumen: $7,000 - $275,000
Photo Chromolithographs: $175 - $2,500

How are the photographs printed and signed?
Photo Chromolithographs- stamped in the negative with geographic location and Detroit Photographic Co stamp from 1900 - 1907.
Albumens and Panoramas- also stamped in negative, and rarely signed from 1880 - 1900.

Vintage:
The majority of Jackson's photographs are vintage. Vintage means that the print date is at or near the same time as the negative date.

Technical Information:
Albumen- print made onto this paper soaked in egg whites (which makes the porous paper smooth to produce a clear image) and then made light sensitive in a silver nitrate bath.
Photo Chromolithograph- early color process derivative of lithographic process; performed by hand, invented by the Swiss, licensed by Jackson.

Portfolios:
None.

Books - In Print:
Birth of a Century - hardback, out of print $75.00

Availability:
A Gallery for Fine Photography boasts a collection of over 100 William Henry Jackson photographs.

Price History:
1975: $100 - $500
1985: $500 - $5,000
1995: $1,000 - $25,000
2000: $1,000 - $125,000.

Cotton on the Levee at New Orleans

Authenticity is guaranteed. Prices and availability are subject to change without prior notice.

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