Yellowstone Lake, Mount Sheridan, No. 3121

Fargo, D. T.: F. J. Haynes. Very Good. Mammoth albumen print of Yellowstone Lake with Mount Sheridan in the background. Print is on a modern white cardboard mount but has title from original mount tipped in on modern mount, and has title, number and photographer's information in the negative. Mount measures 19 ½" x 22". No content on verso. In very good condition. Print has light silvering and foxing; mount is clean. F. Jay Haynes was an accomplished photographer with a long resume. Working for the Northern Pacific Railroad, he produced numerous views for promotional purposes and also developed "one of the finest inventories of the Dakota country" while working for the Black Hills Stage Company (Mautz, p. 347). He set up a studio in Fargo, Dakota Territory, where these images were first produced, travelling to Yellowstone in 1882 to help publicize the Northern Pacific Railroad. He would later operate a photographic concession in Yellowstone at Mammoth Hot Springs (Mautz, p. 347). "By helping Yellowstone gain international recognition for its natural wonders, the Haynes' photography promoted both tourism in the West and the idea of a national park" (National Park Service). This image appears in Haynes' 1884 Supplementary Catalogue, "Mammoth Photographs of the National Park," and was made no later than 1889. Made from 18" x 22" glass plate negatives, these images were advertised as mounted. A serene image of the lake, shoreline and Mount Sheridan. .