Hoofs, Claws and Antlers of the Rocky Mountains by the Camera
A. G. Wallihan (photographer)
1894
29.5 x 26.0 cm
QL 706 W21 1890
Hoofs, Claws and Antlers of the Rocky Mountains by the Camera documents a trip through the Rocky Mountains, with an emphasis on the animals encountered (and hunted) along the way. The publication provides a good example of an early use of the halftone process, which allowed photographs to be easily printed side by side with text, bringing about what historian Gerry Beegan has called “the mass image.”
In its approach to photographic illustration, this publication is firmly rooted in nineteenth-century practices. This can be seen in the photograph captioned “Mr. Wallihan and his Camera,” where Mr Wallihan stands next to a large camera mounted on an even larger tripod in order to illustrate the photographer’s care and expertise.
The publisher’s note informs us of the “extreme difficulty of securing first-class negatives under these conditions,” where “the photographer was rarely able to obtain the most favorable position or sunlight advantage.” As a result, not all of the photographs published here are by Mr and Mrs Wallihan: “In order to make the collection of wild animals found in the Rocky Mountains more complete, it has been necessary to use several photographs obtained by others.”
These notes, as well as an introduction entitled “How We Made the Photographs,” and a title that announces the camera’s authorship (“by the Camera”), present photography as a remarkable mode of representation that requires specialized knowledge.
A full scan of this item is available through the Internet Archive.