mammoth-plate albumen print, titled, numbered '1009,' and credited to the photographer in the negative, mounted, matted, 1880s

New England antiques dealer

Acquired by William L. Schaeffer from the above, circa 1981

Acquired by the Quillaꦆn Company fr꧟om the above, 1989

Jill Quasha, The Quillan Collection of Nineteenth and Twentieth Century Photographs (New York, 1991), pl. 38 (this print)

Grading this albumen print on a scale of 1 to 10 - a 10 being a print that has rich, deep dark tones and highlights that retain all of their original detail - this print surpasses a rating of 10. The dark areas are a deep reddish brown, and the highlights are cream-colored. It is essentially in excellent condition. When examined closely, three small losses are visible in the sky area—these may be due to imperfections in the photographic paper. There is an old 1 cm. tear in the bottom edge that may have occurred during the mounting process. This has been effectively retouched.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Of all the photographers of the nineteenth-century American West, none had as strong an affinity for the railroad as William Henry Jackson.  His images capture the adventure of rail travel in the still 'wild' West, as well as the impressive feats of engineering that brought the railroad to increasingly remote locales.  The large-format photograph offered here shows the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad passing through the Grand Canyon of the Arkansas River, near Cañon City, Colorado.  With its almost heroic depiction of the line's passage through the jagged canyon walls, the photograph demonstrates Jackson's talent for capturing both the romance of𝓀 the railroad and the drama of the American landscape.

In his early days as a photographer in the 1860s, Jackson photographed along the then-unfinished Union Pacific, and sold photographs and stereo views entitled Scenery of the Union Pacific Railroad, out of his Omaha, Nebraska, studio.  During the 1870s, Jackson was photographer for a number of governmental surveys, most notably the Hayden U. S. Geological survey.  At the end of the decade, when government commissions became scarce, Jackson--ever the resourceful businessman--offered his services to the railroad companies.  His initial railroad commission came from the Denver and Rio Grande Railway Company, for whom he produced the image offered here.  Other commissions soon followed𒐪: the Colorado Midland Railway; the Denver, South Park, and Pacific Railroad; the Colorado Central Railroad; and the Mexican Central Railway.  Jackson's advertisement for his Denver studio during this time claimed 'Railroad and Landscape Photography our Specialties.'

In 1880, Jackson was granted a major commission by the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad to photograph its𒁏 narrow-gauge line, then the longest operating in the nation.  When silver deposits were discovered in Leadville, Colorado, in 1877, two railways--the D&RG and the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe--raced to build their lines in the exceedingly narrow Grand Canyon of the Arkansas to access the mines.  Both companies hired gunmen to advance into the gorge, creating in essence a small-scale war tha🐎t lasted for two years.  Ultimately the dispute was settled through government intervention, and the D&RG completed the tracks seen in Jackson's photograph.