William Henry Jackson recorded the natural curiosities and wonders of the West at a time when photography was in its initial stages. Thirty years before Ansel Adams (1902–1984) was born, Jackson had explored the commercial and artistic possibilities of capturing the canyons, geysers, valleys, and waterfalls of Yellowstone and the Rockies and other majestic landscapes.
As photography evolved, he changed, too, incorporating the newest styles and procedures necessary to shoot not just the imposing landmarks such as the Grand Canyon, but also Native American encampments and tribal chiefs, lost and enchanting cities, and overnight, boom-and-bust mining towns.
