See the Work

Where to experience William Henry Jackson's photographs in person, and resources to learn more

Permanent Collections

Institutions holding William Henry Jackson's original prints and negatives, plus the public-domain archive these images are drawn from.

Source Archive

Library of Congress

Washington, D.C.

The Prints & Photographs Division holds the FSA/OWI collection — thousands of William Henry Jackson's Depression-era photographs. All are in the public domain and available online.

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Library of Congress

Washington, D.C.

Holds a large collection of Jackson's photographs, including Detroit Publishing Company material and World's Transportation Commission views, in its public-domain Prints and Photographs holdings with no known restrictions.

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The Henry Ford

Dearborn, Michigan

Acquired tens of thousands of Jackson's negatives from the Detroit Publishing Company, forming one of the largest single repositories of his work.

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Denver Public Library

Denver, Colorado

Holds thousands of Jackson photographs in its Western History Collection, documenting Colorado, the Rocky Mountains, and the railroads.

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History Colorado

Denver, Colorado

Holds extensive Jackson negatives, prints, and papers relating to his Hayden Survey and Colorado work in the former Colorado Historical Society collections.

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National Park Service

Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Preserves Jackson's Yellowstone survey images as part of the documentary record of the park's founding.

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Major Exhibitions

Notable retrospectives and exhibitions of William Henry Jackson's work.

1876
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Centennial Exposition

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Jackson exhibited photographs and clay models of the cliff dwellings and western landscapes documented on the Hayden Surveys, drawing wide public attention.

1893
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World's Columbian Exposition

Chicago, Illinois

Jackson's large-format western views were displayed at the international fair, reinforcing his reputation as a leading photographer of the American landscape.

Books & Films About William Henry Jackson

Essential resources for understanding William Henry Jackson's life and work.

Essential Reading

Time Exposure: The Autobiography of William Henry Jackson William Henry Jackson, 1940

Jackson's firsthand account of his life and career, written when he was ninety-seven, covering the Civil War, the Hayden Surveys, and his decades photographing the American West.

William Henry Jackson Beaumont Newhall and Diana E. Edkins, 1974

A study and portfolio of Jackson's photography produced in connection with exhibition and scholarship on his western and survey work.

William Henry Jackson and the Transformation of the American Landscape Peter B. Hales, 1988

A scholarly biography examining Jackson's career and the role of his photographs in shaping perceptions of the American West.

Time Exposure: The Autobiography of William Henry Jackson William Henry Jackson, 1994

A later reprint edition of Jackson's 1940 autobiography, keeping his memoir in print for new readers.

Online Resources

Library of Congress FSA Collection Free access to thousands of digitized public-domain photographs Wikipedia - William Henry Jackson Encyclopedic overview of Jackson's life, survey work, and legacy. Library of Congress - Prints & Photographs Searchable archive holding Jackson's photographs in the public domain, including Detroit Publishing Company images. National Park Service - William Henry Jackson An online exhibit on Jackson's life and his role in documenting Yellowstone and the West. Denver Public Library - Western History Collection Holdings of Jackson's Colorado and Rocky Mountain photographs.

Explore the Archive

Browse 1483 William Henry Jackson photographs from the Library of Congress.

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