This book explores the renowned images from nineteenth-century American photography, tracing their origins to government geological surveys of the western territories. Focusing on Timothy H. O’Sullivan and William Bell, the work illuminates their roles in these expeditions during the 1860s and 1870s. It highlights a collection of photographs acquired by the Smart Museum of Art, emphasizing panoramic assemblages that have remained unseen for over a century. The book examines these panoramas' significance within and beyond the surveys, offering new insights into Bell's lesser-known contributions alongside O'Sullivan's, within the broader nineteenth-century visual context.
