Animas Canyon, Colorado
William Henry Jackson American
Publisher Detroit Publishing Company American
Not on view
Around the turn of the twentieth century, printers developed sophisticated color processes that could transform black-and-white photographs into deeply saturated chromolithographs produced in various formats, from postcards to large panoramas. The photographs used as the basis for these commercial prints were not merely colorized—they were also cropped, retouched, and extensively reconfigured to serve the demands of the market. Technicians began by creating large collages of photographic and painted elements. These were then re-photographed and transferred to printing stones, where the color was added. In this maquette, William Henry Jackson’s austere photograph of the Animas River canyon in Colorado was significantly altered—trees were removed, mountains were added to the background—eventually resulting in a picture perfect postcard.
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