19th Century photography

A 19th Century photograph of the American Landscape

 Landscape: Browns Park, Colorado

Timothy H. O'Sullivan (1840-82) was a photographer widely known for his work related to the American Civil War and the Western United States.

"Not only was O'Sullivan one of the most intrepid and successful of the U.S. government expedition photographers who roamed the West under appalling conditions in the late 1860s and 1870s," from the Tucson Weekly wrote in 2003 by Margaret Regan, "he was one of the best of the Civil War photographers. His photos of the war's anonymous dead, lying bloated in the bloody fields of Gettysburg and elsewhere, are emblazoned into the consciousness of Americans."

O'Sullivan toook photographs of the American West between 1867 and 1874,During two expeditions administered by the U.S. War Department (one led by Clarence King along the 40th parallel and the other by Lt. George M).

What marks us in these images is the curiosity shown by the photographer, the perfection of the composition and the beauty of the wild landscapes of the American West, which are already being radically transformed deeper. 

We see one character surrounded by the enormous landscape. Which could represent the fact that us, human are really small in the world? The character also represents a man which takes the land as his possession. Thinking this land belong to them.. Which emphases the 'manifesty destiny'

I believe that this photography was taken to show the 'incredible landscape' and natural beauty of west and encourage people to travel west, to discover new area and encourage western expansion.