The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of April 19, 2024
Mystic Lake, M.T.
1872
(American, 1843–1942)
Image: 23.3 x 50.7 cm (9 3/16 x 19 15/16 in.); Mounted: 40.6 x 31.5 cm (16 x 12 3/8 in.); Matted: 50.8 x 61 cm (20 x 24 in.)
John L. Severance Fund 2002.47
Location: not on view
Description
One of the best-known 19th-century landscape photographers of the American West, Jackson took thousands of negatives between 1870 and 1888 while working for the federal government and the railroads. Beginning in 1870, he began an eight-year assignment as official photographer to the U.S. Geological and Geographical Survey of the Territories led by Ferdinand V. Hayden. This beautiful view of Mystic Lake, located at the head of the East Gallatin River, is one of the most picturesque photographs of the mountainous American West. Jackson used for the first time 11-by-14-inch negatives that captured the scene's rich textures, the brilliant play of light and shade, and the power and romance of this enthralling vista. Jackson described the scenic lake as "well stocked with most excellent trout, it is quite a pleasure-resort, despite the difficulties to encounter in reaching it."- Icons of American Photography: A Century of Photographs from the Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 24-September 16, 2007); Frick Art and Historical Center, Pittsburgh, PA (October 3, 2009-January 3, 2010).Charles Isaacs and Carol Nigro Collection of American Photography. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (April 26-September 10, 2003).
- {{cite web|title=Mystic Lake, M.T.|url=false|author=William Henry Jackson|year=1872|access-date=19 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2002.47