Cathedral Spires, Garden of the Gods (Primary Title)
William Henry Jackson, American, 1843–1942 (Artist)
A leading photographer of the American West, William Henry Jackson joined the United States Geological and Geographical Survey of the Territories in 1870. One of several surveys organized by the Department of the Interior to explore the land between the Missouri River and the Sierra Nevada mountain range, it consisted of geologists, ethnologists, archaeologists, and artists, including Thomas Moran, whose painting of the Yosemite Valley hangs nearby. Jackson learned invaluable lessons about pictorial composition from Moran; in turn, Moran used Jackson’s photographs as raw material for his oil paintings. Jackson’s popular image of the otherworldly Cathedral Spires near Pikes Peak, Colorado, dates from a trek the two made together through the area known as Garden of the Gods.
Stamp: W.H. Jackson & Co, Phot., Denver, Col."
Gift of William Henry Anderson, Jr.
Image released via Creative Commons CC-BY-NC
Some object records are not complete and do not reflect VMFA's full and current knowledge. VMFA makes routine updates as records are reviewed and enhanced.