Shoshone Falls, Idaho, between 1870 and 1880

  • William Henry Jackson, American, 1843-1942

Albumen print

  • Sheet: 20 1/8 × 17 1/8 inches (51.1 × 43.5 cm) Mount: 27 1/8 × 21 3/8 inches (68.9 × 54.3 cm)

Founders Society Purchase, Edna Burian Skelton Fund

F77.1

This view of Shoshone Falls with its cascading waterfalls and masses of fir trees is typical of Jackson’s romantic approach to landscape photography. Jackson often deliberately placed a human figure in his photographs to enhance the viewer’s appreciation of the vast scale of his subject. Here a tiny figure can be discerned seated on a rock at the base of the falls. Jackson’s photographs had wide distribution through his work for the railroads and his later association with the Detroit Publishing Company. His images played a major role in making Americans aware of the magnificent natural wonders of the West.

Inscribed, titled in pencil, on mount, lower left: Shoshone Falls | Idaho

1977-present, purchase by the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA)

William Henry Jackson, Shoshone Falls, Idaho, between 1870 and 1880, albumen print. Detroit Institute of Arts, Founders Society Purchase, Edna Burian Skelton Fund, F77.1.