This is one of those dramatic landscapes that, if it were a painting, one would think the artist had exaggerated the scale. We see some tents on the canyon floor, and traces of a road winding its way along — but they are all tiny compared to the massive rock walls and natural spires. To the left we see a rectangular block that looks like some ancient monument built by giants with and intricate but obscure carved facade. To the right are towering monoliths, resembling Egyptian obelisks.

The photographer who recorded this dramatic scene was one of the finest artists of the 19th century, Timothy H O’Sullivan (ca 1840-1882). He learned the basics of photography from Mathew Brady, then joined Alexander Gardner in recording the scenes of the Civil War. After the war he joined various Western Expeditions and recorded scenery such as we see here. Despite the fact that his massive talent was recognized even in his lifetime, we know relatively little of his personal life. Some sources say he was born in Ireland and came with his parents to the U.S. when he was two years old; other sources say he was born in New York City. About 1875 he married Laura Virginia Pywll, who was 15 years younger than he. They had one child that mis-carried, but no surviving children. We see them listed in the 1880 census, tenants in John Phelps household in Washington D.C. O’Sullivan is not shown in the 1870 census, probably because he was on an expedition to Panama at that time, where they were exploring the feasibility of digging a canal across the isthmus. Nor can we find him in 1850 or 1860 censuses, there are no Timothy O’Sullivan listings for someone that age, and far too many listings for Timothy Sullivan. One of the 1860 listings for Timothy Sullivan born about 1840 is for a clerk, the rest are laborers or bricklayers. All show Ireland as their birthplaces.