Fissure Vent at Steamboat Springs, Nevada
For some of the most mesmerizing photographs made for ostensibly documentary purposes, we have only clues to elucidate the original intention. This picture has been published as both "Steam Rising from a Fissure near Virginia City, Nevada" and "Ruby Valley, Nevada;" Clarence King titled it as cited above. None of the titles clarifies the picture's mystery. Surely the shadowy figure is on the edge of an abyss, but whether he is to be swallowed up by it or has just risen from it is unclear. Maybe the point is his very ambiguity in the infernal, Dantean space. Or perhaps he is the anchor in a depiction of an amorphous geological event--the familiar entity by which all things are measured, including the density of vapor and the passage of time.
Artwork Details
- Title: Fissure Vent at Steamboat Springs, Nevada
- Artist: Timothy H. O'Sullivan (American, born Ireland, 1840–1882)
- Date: 1867
- Medium: Albumen silver print from glass negative
- Dimensions: Image: 22.3 x 29 cm (8 3/4 x 11 7/16 in.)
Mat: 41.3 x 47.6 cm (16 1/4 x 18 3/4 in.) - Classification: Photographs
- Credit Line: Gilman Collection, Purchase, Marlene Nathan Meyerson Family Foundation Gift, 2005
- Object Number: 2005.100.105
- Curatorial Department: Photographs
More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Timothy H. O'Sullivan (American, born Ireland, 1840–1882)
1861–65
Timothy H. O'Sullivan (American, born Ireland, 1840–1882)
1861–65
Timothy H. O'Sullivan (American, born Ireland, 1840–1882)
1864
Attributed to Timothy H. O'Sullivan (American, born Ireland, 1840–1882)
1861–65
Timothy H. O'Sullivan (American, born Ireland, 1840–1882)
ca. 1863
Related Content
Publications
Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.
Free to download
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please contact us using the form below. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.