William Henry Jackson
Clear Creek Canyon, Colorado

Clear Creek Canyon, Colorado

Public Domain

Clear Creek Canyon, Colorado
ArtistAmerican, 1843–1942
CultureAmerican
Titles
  • Clear Creek Canyon, Colorado
Datec. 1899
Place depictedColorado, United States
MediumPhotolithograph
DimensionsAt opening: 20 1/8 × 15 5/8 in. (51.1 × 39.7 cm)
Credit LineGift of Mike and Mickey Marvins
Object number2013.732
Not on view

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Department
Photography
Special Collections
Object Type
DescriptionFor over half a century, William Henry Jackson photographed the American West as it was mapped and settled after the American Civil War. He was first employed by the U.S. Geological and Geographical Survey of the Territories, and later by the various railroads that had begun to crisscross the United States. He documented towns, settlers, railroad works, and the scenic views along the tracks. In his picture of Clear Creek Canyon, the ragged contours of a V-shaped cut, made for the rails’ passage through the Rockies, were dramatic and alien to Americans in the East and Midwest, where mountains could best be described as rolling rather than thrusting. Jackson increased the drama by coloring his black-and-white photograph in this photolithograph version. Complementary colors flow toward the picture’s center: red rocks, a blue stream, and a cloudy blue sky.
ProvenanceAuction, before 1989; purchased by Michael Marvins and Michele Marvins, Houston, before 1989; given to MFAH, 2013.
Exhibition History“A Photographer’s Collection: Gifts from Michael and Michele Marvins,” The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, April 4–July 5, 2015.

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