Iceberg Canyon, Colorado River Looking Above (c. 1871): Art, History and Details

Iceberg Canyon, Colorado River Looking Above (c. 1871) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Timothy H. O'Sullivan (American, 1840–1882).

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

Timothy H. O'Sullivan served on the first and last seasons (1871-73) of the geographical expedition, led by Lieutenant George Montague Wheeler, to explore and map lands west of the 100th meridian. Wheeler sought an inland passage for troops from Idaho and Utah southward to Arizona and desired to document the topography to benefit future settlement. O'Sullivan's unequaled experience in the field earned him a boat of his own, Picture, from which he slowly explored the canyons from his low vantage point on the Colorado River. In this carefully composed picture of Iceberg Canyon, he seamlessly blended documentary and aesthetic interests, bringing formal and geological order to what is perhaps his best photograph taken along the Colorado. Contemplating the beautiful scenery, the centrally positioned, seated figure introduces human participation to a scene of geological wonder.

Object facts

• Title: Iceberg Canyon, Colorado River Looking Above
• Date: c. 1871
• Creator attribution: Timothy H. O'Sullivan (American, 1840–1882)
• Culture: America
• Type: Photograph
• Technique: albumen print from wet collodion negative
• Dimensions: Image: 20.2 x 27.3 cm (7 15/16 x 10 3/4 in.); Mounted: 35.5 x 45.7 cm (14 x 18 in.); Matted: 50.8 x 61 cm (20 x 24 in.)
• Collection: Photography
• Department: Photography
• Accession number: 2002.46

Collection credit

John L. Severance Fund

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.