Austin, Nevada

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Copied Timothy H. O'Sullivan, Austin, Nevada, 1868, albumen silver print, sheet and image: 7 3410 12 in. (19.726.7 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase from the Charles Isaacs Collection made possible in part by the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 1994.91.132
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
Austin, Nevada
Date
1868
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
sheet and image: 7 3410 12 in. (19.726.7 cm.)
Credit Line
Museum purchase from the Charles Isaacs Collection made possible in part by the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment
Mediums Description
albumen silver print
Classifications
Keywords
  • Landscape — bird’s eye view
  • Cityscape — Nevada — Austin
Object Number
1994.91.132

Artwork Description

Dreams of fortune buried deep in silver mines attracted over 10,000 people to Austin, Nevada, in the early 1860s. Located in the remote Toiyabe Range, this boomtown was soon deserted, leaving the buildings seen here to fall into disrepair. Clarence King led a team through Austin for the U.S. government sponsored Geological Exploration of the Fortieth Parallel, a survey that covered an expanse 800 miles long and 100 miles wide between the Sierra Nevada and Rocky Mountains. Timothy O’Sullivan’s photograph illustrates with precision and clarity the scientific findings of this major geological study.


A Democracy of Images: Photographs from the Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2013