American Historical Ephemera & Photography

Sun pictures of Rocky Mountain scenery, with a description of the geographical and geological features, and some account of the resources of the Great West; containing thirty photographic views along the line of the Pacific Rail Road, from Omaha to Sacramento, [&c.] [A.J. Russell, photographer]. New York: Julius Bien, 1870.

Large quarto album (12 x 10 in.), viii, 150, [2] p. and 30 mounted albumen photographs by Andrew Joseph Russell, on printed mounts (very fine condition, bright and bold, without any foxing or other visual defects). Bound in antique-style 3/4 navy morocco and marbled boards, with a gilt-decorated backstrip with five raised bands and maroon and brown gilt-lettered morocco title labels (covers pristine, new endpapers, all edges gilt, joints and hinges solid, sewing and binding firm). Text pages, on heavy stock, are fresh, clean and bright (a small professionally repaired tear on the half-title page, a tiny old ink spot on the title page). An exquisite copy in all respects. Howes H337. Sabin 31007. Nickles 471.

FIRST EDITION of one of the most celebrated photographically illustrated works of exploration in the 19th century American West. This very scarce monograph is an amalgam of geographic and geologic data, blended with striking and dramatic landscape photographs taken along the line of the Union Pacific and Central Pacific Railroads in Wyoming, Utah and California. In 1868-1869, Russell, on assignment for the UPRR, took more than 200 glass plate negatives of western scenery, railroad construction, etc. and published 50 of his prints in an exceedingly rare album entitled "The Great West Illustrated." Hayden prepared "Sun Pictures" employing 30 of Russell's "Great West" photographs, and added a descriptive text which would acquaint rail passengers with the geologic history and rock formations along the line, particularly between Cheyenne and Salt Lake City. Like the other western geologic surveyors, King, Wheeler, and Powell, Hayden early on recognized the immense popular appeal for illustrations of scenery in the Rockies, the Great Basin and the Sierras; the demand for this volume well exceeded Bien's ability to bind them (see Foster, 1994, Life of Hayden, p. 195-198).