William Henry Jackson Photographs

Collection

Identifier: PAAC-0019

Staff Only

Scope and Content

This significant collection of W.H. Jackson was acquired over the years through donation and purchase and includes some of the earliest photographs of New Mexico. The collection includes ca. 1866 carte de visites of Pawnee chiefs taken in Omaha, photographs of early Santa Fe and many official Geologic Survey prints produced for circulation in Washington DC.

Dates

1869 - 1924

Creator

Jackson, William Henry, 1843-1942 (Person)

Language of Materials

English

Access Restrictions

Collection is open to researchers on a request basis only, pending approval of request to view original material.

Copy Restrictions

User responsible for all copyright compliance. Permission to publish must be obtained from Photo Archives. Form to request permission available at: https://www.nmhistorymuseum.org/collections/photo-archives/order-photos

Biographical Information

William Henry Jackson, the Pioneer Photographer, had a long and distinguished career as a photographer documenting the American West. Over the course of his long career Jackson became a powerful spokesman for the importance of landscape to American culture, particularly the American West. Born in New York in 1843, Jackson fought at Gettysburg during the Civil War moving west near Omaha in 1866. Starting out as a bullwhacker, Jackson learned the craft of photography and signed on as the official photographer of the first Hayden Geological Survey in 1871, charged with photographing the legendary landmarks of the American West. He continued working on various surveys until 1878. Jackson then established a studio in Denver where he produced an immense catalog of national and international images. In 1897 he sold his catalog to Detroit Photographic and worked as the publisher’s president until 1924. His autobiography The Pioneer Photographer, published in 1929, documents his pioneering days with photographs, drawings and paintings. Jackson died in 1942 at the age of 99 and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.