Timothy O'Sullivan appreciation

Just because...

Yes, big fan. Considered by many to be the most artistic of the early landscape photographers. Somehow I'm also reminded of John Beasley Greene ("Signs and Wonders: The Photographs of John Beasley Greene" by Corey Keller, DelMonico Books/ Prestel n/d) Perhaps it's the simplicity.

Arthurwg said:

Yes, big fan. Considered by many to be the most artistic of the early landscape photographers.

Click to expand...

I'm just starting to dive into his work. Got the book Timothy H. O'Sullivan: The King Survey Photographs from the library. Absolutely stunning photography. And very modern. Ansel Adams, Robert Adams, Stephen Shore, Richard Misrach...: in some way, they're all already there. Fascinating.

Along these same lines, the book "The Western Photographs of John K. Hillers - Myself in the Water" by Don D. Fowler is a good read as well.

Wet-plate photographer for many of John Wesley Powell's expeditions mapping the Colorado River, Yosemite Valley and the Grand Canyon, as well as some work in Indian Territory (latter day Oklahoma).

Interestingly enough, he worked his way from mule-skinner to the Chief Photographer of Powell's expeditions via tutoring by E. O. Beaman and self determination.

Kino said:

Along these same lines, the book "The Western Photographs of John K. Hillers - Myself in the Water" by Don D. Fowler is a good read as well.

Wet-plate photographer for many of John Wesley Powell's expeditions mapping the Colorado River, Yosemite Valley and the Grand Canyon, as well as some work in Indian Territory (latter day Oklahoma).

Interestingly enough, he worked his way from mule-skinner to the Chief Photographer of Powell's expeditions via tutoring by E. O. Beaman and self determination.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the reference. I had never heard of him.

Found this very nice photo by Hillers titled "Zuni, looking S.E.":

Any discussion of photographers of the west should include William Henry Jackson. Jackson's images of Yellowstone were instrumental in the creation of the National Parks system in America. Jackson Hole and Jackson Lake were named after him.,

Also, It is interesting to note that Ansel Adams was the first to really champion Timothy O'Sullivan's work. Otherwise we might might have basically lost his work in the archives.
He also did work with Alexander Gardner, and George Barnard, on Matthew Brady's. 'Sketchbook of the Civil War'. After his exploration work he went to South and Central America
on a trip or 2. Unfortunately, like Matthew Brady he died penniless, within a few years of his return to the US.

Rod

I love the sculpting quality, combined with atmospheric feel, of those old blue sensitive plates. It's especially apparent in O Sullivan's Colorado River work. He certainly understood his medium.

I like him. I find him very similar to Carleton Watkins whom I admire.
Here is something that was written about Timothy o Sullivan which I liked and wanted to share it with you as an appreciation of the photographer:

"I believe, for example, that a photograph like those by Timothy O’Sullivan—who is not very well known to the general public, but was a great American landscape photographer of Irish descent from the previous century—one of his photographs depicting an American canyon, manages not merely to dwell on the sheer impressiveness of the American landmasses (let us recall the Grand Canyon we’ve seen in the cinema), but also to create a sense of anxiety from these very masses, along with a stark opposition of shadow and light. In other words, elements enter into a photograph that are both technical and formal; yet all of these together would have no place if they did not constitute a message of emotion—a message in a bottle that Timothy O’Sullivan casts into the sea, for someone to find, and in encountering it, to feel again an intensity of emotion. This, in very broad terms, is called Poetry—with a capital P. It can be achieved through photography, just as it can be achieved through all other arts."

Source:

Going through my library today I came across "The Photographic Artifacts of Timothy O'Sullivan," by Rick Dingus, University of New Mexico Press, 1982. This is a great book that does much more than just present his pictures. Highly recommended.

I am currently reading "Double Exposure: Resurveying the West with Timothy O'Sullivan, America's Most Mysterious War Photographer", by Robert Sullivan. Published in 2024, it's a deep and fascinating read; I'm only 70 pages in but will recommend it.
Oddly, I found the hardcover copy on the bargain table (for $10) of the general store in Wellfleet, MA, next to the souvenirs and T-shirts. Serendipity!
Of course the mysteries around who O'Sullivan was, and why his photos are so mysterious themselves, will provide material for writers and photographers for a long time to come.

Re: "The Photographic Artifacts of Timothy O'Sullivan", I'm particularly taken by the stereoscopic views, which IMHO have a wonderful visual impact.