Historic Photographers in American History

AMERICAN HISTORY

Historic Photographers of America's History

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When photography first began in 1839, cameras began to accompany explorers on their travels. However, at this time, technology had not yet reached a point that the images could be used in publications. Instead, skilled illustrators were required to translate these early images. It was not until the 1860s, that the first practical paper photographs were achieved.

By the mid-1800's, around the time of the Civil War, the photographer was buried in his portable dark tent, which consisted of the camera equipment and a portable dark room. At that time, they processed their photos right on the spot. By the 1870's, photography had advanced to a point that treated plates could be taken out to the field, exposed, and brought back to a dark room for later processing. In 1884, George Eastman patented the first film in roll form to prove practicable and four years later, in 1888 perfected the Kodak camera, the first camera designed specifically for roll film.

Two photographers taking each other's picture with hand-held cameras while perched on a roof, early 20th Century.

Throughout the second half of the 19th Century, as photography was going through a number of technical improvements, many a brave adventurer set out to document the events, people, and scenes that made this country grand.

Historic Photographers:

Ansel Easton Adams (1902-1984) - An American photographer and environmentalist, he best known for his black-and-white photographs of the American West, especially in Yosemite National Park.

George Grantham Bain (1865-1944) - A New York photographer, he founded the first news photograph service, Bain News in 1898.

Mathew B. Brady (1822-1896) - One of the most celebrated 19th century American photographers, he is best known for his photographs of celebrities and his documentation of the Civil War. He is credited with being the father of photojournalism.

Edward Sheriff Curtis (1868-1952) - A photographer of the American West, he is best known for his many images of Native Americans.

Jack Delano (1914-1997) - Working for the Farm Security Administration (FSA), Delano was also a composer noted for his use of Puerto Rican folk material.

Walker Evans (1903-1975) - An American photographer best known for his work for the Farm Security Administration (FSA) documenting the effects of the Great Depression. He said that his goal as a photographer was to make pictures that are "literate, authoritative, transcendent."

Camillus Sydney "Buck” Fly (18??-1901) - Best known for his photography of the Geronimo's surrender in 1886, Fly was living and working in Tombstone during the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral. He also served as the sheriff of Cochise County, Arizona for two years.

Alexander Gardner (1821-1882) - A Scottish born photographer, he moved to the United States in 1856 where he developed his profession. He is best known for his photographs of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln, and the execution of the conspirators to Lincoln's assassination.

John C. H. Grabill - An American photographer, he is known for his photographs taken in South Dakota and Wyoming in the late 19th century. Between 1887 and 1892, he sent 188 photographs of railroads, mining, Native Americans, and settlers' life in the region to the Library of Congress for copyright protection.

Herman Heyn (1866-1949) - An important portrait photographer in Omaha, Nebraska, from the 1880s through the 1920s, he is nationally noted for more than 500 images of Native Americans, mostly Sioux.

William Henry Jackson in the Detroit Publishing Company's Special

Railroad Car, 1902.

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Lewis Wickes Hine (1874-1940) - A sociologist and photographer, he used his camera as a tool for social reform. His photographs were instrumental in changing the child labor laws.

William Henry Jackson (1843-1942) - A painter, photographer, and explorer, Jackson is known as the first person to photograph the wonders of Yellowstone and other places in the American West, as well as documenting the Civil War in a number of sketches. He also became a partner in the Detroit Publishing Company, who utilized thousands of his images in the first color postcards and prints to be published in America.

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