Eadweard James Muybridge (American, b. England, 1830-1904). THE DOMES FROM MERCED RIVER, YOSEMITE VALLEY, ca. 1874. Albumen print. Gift of Harvard University

The American land, expansive and spectacular, has been a central force in shaping the American culture and forging the American character. From the Leatherstocking Tales of James Fenimore Cooper to the majestic landscapes of Ansel Adams, it has inspired the creativity of authors and artists and captured our collective imagination.

This exhibition of 78 nineteenth-century photographic landscapes reveals this imaginative spirit. Ranging from the 1850s to the end of the nineteenth century and from the East to the vast “new” West, the images include daguerreotypists views of Niagara Falls, remnants of Civil War landscapes, and quiet eastern streams. An expanding network of railroad lines and their promoters provide us with images of graceful bridges and curving valleys lined with small industrial towns. Picturesque waterfalls are meant to draw people to growing towns in the upper Midwest. Images from the explorations of the spectacular West: Yosemite, Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, the Green River, and the west coast are undeniably impressive.

Eloquent Vistas includes well known photographers of the era: Timothy H. O’Sullivan, Eadweard Muybridge, William Henry Jackson, John Moran, Carlton E. Watkins, William H. Rau, William Bell, and others. These men documented the land for government sponsored geological and geographical surveys, for the railroad companies, and for the tourist trade. Many accomplished their commissions in a truly artistic way, so that today, we appreciate their images more for their aesthetic value than for their topographical depiction of place. This exhibition celebrates their achievements.

Eloquent Vistas is drawn from George Eastman House’s collection of over 3,500 prints and 6,500 stereographs of nineteenth-century American landscapes. The exhibition includes ten text panels that discuss topics related to the exhibition including the albumen print, photographing in the nineteenth century, government surveys, and the role of photography in opening up the West.

View PDF

 

CONTENTS
77 photographs, including vintage albumen photographs; three daguerreotypes (vitrine required); stereographs; Kodak #1 and #2 snapshots; object labels, introductory text panel; conservation text panel; eight didactic panels
CONTACT	AVAILABILITY	SIZE	RENTAL FEE
Jeanne Verhulst Associate Curator of Exhibitions (585) 271-3361, ext. 382 Fax: (585) 271-3970 travex@geh.org	through 2008	300 running feet; approximately 2,000 sq. ft.	$20,000
	BOOKING PERIOD	SHIPPING
	10—12 weeks	9 crates; approximately 1,500 lbs. total