This rare and absorbing CD contains over 900+ digitalized vintage photographs of places in Africa, Asia Australia and Oceania, taken in the 1890s by the inimitable William Henry Jackson – the man whose photographic genius finally convinced Congress to recognize Yellowstone as a national monument!
Few American historians are remembered with as much fondness and respect as William Henry Jackson, who in a career spanning several decades recorded the history of America and the world - not on paper, but from behind the eyepiece of a box camera.
A self-taught artist, Jackson began his career as retoucher in a photography studio. Within a short span of time, he had not only mastered the art of retouching, but the emerging science of photography as well. Jackson became the first photographer to capture the grandeur of Yellowstone National Park, when in 1869, surveyor Ferdinand Hayden noticed him while photographing the construction of the Union Pacific Railroad. Jackson’s photographs were a key factor in convincing Congress to establish Yellowstone as our first national park in 1872.
In 1894, Jackson now 51 but showing no signs of slowing down, set out on a global jaunt that took him to far away places in Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia and some Polynesian Islands. Accompanied by his trusted In camera - which by today’s standards was primitive at best - Jackson recorded chapter after delightful chapter of the history of the place on film, creating one of the best known and loved collections of photographs of the 19th century.
As a fitting tribute to the man’s genius, persistence, foresight and a lifetime of dedication to the cause of preserving history, a wing of the visitor center at Scotts Bluff National Monument is dedicated to the life and work of William Henry Jackson, and a large number of his original paintings are a part of the park's collection, where they are used to illustrate a vital part of our history.
This CD contains a collection of vintage photographs taken by Jackson during his historic world tour, which was commissioned by the World Transportation Commission in the 1890s.
Sample thumbnails taken from the collection. Click on image to view larger picture.
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William Harvey Jackson’s 1894 world tour, sponsored by the World Transportation Commission (WTC), resulted in the collection of some of the finest vintage photographic records of the world. This fascinating CD contains over 900 digitalized photographs from Jackson’s collection. Not surprisingly, the theme of these images seems to center around transportation and the striking images of railroads, elephants, camels, horses, sleds, sleighs, sedan chairs, rickshaws, sampans and a variety of watercraft, bear testimony to this. Jackson’s outstanding skills as a photographer are on display in these memorable photographic records of 25 historic places, which include Aden, Algeria, Australia, Bangladesh, Burma, China, Egypt, Fiji, Hong Kong, Macao, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Morocco, New Zealand, North Africa, Oceania, Pakistan, Russia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Tasmania, Thailand and Tunisia.
EDITORIAL REVIEW:
"The world is fortunate to have been blessed every now and then by the emergence of rare and extraordinary men who gifted so much of themselves and their creativity to posterity. The name of artist, painter, photographer and adventurer William Harvey Jackson figures prominently among such mortals. An artist extraordinaire, Jackson brought fresh creativity to the art of photography at the turn of the 20th century and took it to new, hitherto unscaled heights.
The artist in him always seems to have won over the photographer and thus Jackson’s images carry an inventive touch that is lacking in many photographic collections of the time. His images carry a certain warmth and familiarity that endears them instantaneously to the viewer. This probably stems from his choice of objects - from the very mundane items such as hand-pulled rickshaws to the not-so-common ocean liners.
Jackson’s busy camera has captured the story of life in several cities and nations in a fabulously imaginative manner, and a2zcds.com has done justice to Jackson’s efforts by digitalizing and preserving these historic images on CD. While many of the images are presented in black and white, others are delightfully hand painted in natural hues. The occasional loss of clarity - understandably due to age - is more than compensated for by the historic value of the images.
This travelogue sets itself apart from many others like it by virtue of its intensity and in-depth look at life as it was in different parts of the globe at the turn of the last century, and is a must have for those who love history, geography, anthropology, adventure or simply outstanding photography."
