Geyser mouth in Ruby Valley, Nevada
Artist
Timothy H. O'Sullivan
(American, born Ireland, 1840 - 1882)
Date1868
MediumAlbumen print
DimensionsImage: 7 7/8 x 10 5/8 inches (20 x 26.99 cm)
Credit LineGift of Hallmark Cards, Inc.
Object number2005.27.247
On View
Not on viewCollections
Terms
Developing Greatness: The Origins of American Photography, 1839-1885. The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, June 9 – December 30, 2007, no. 395.
Timothy H. O’Sullivan: The King Survey Photographs. The Art Institute of Chicago, October 22, 2011 - January 15, 2012, The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, April 7 - September 2, 2012, Brigham Young University Museum of Art, Provo, UT, January 23 - May 26, 2014, no. 44.
One of O'Sullivan's most famous photographs, this is also one of his most unusual. He aimed his camera directly down the mouth of a geyser, using the angle of the sun to illuminate the depth of the channel (note the shadows of both O'Sullivan and his camera in the lower left). A survey companion-truncated by the edge of O'Sullivan's frame-provides both an indication of scale and a whimsical human touch.
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