Jackson, William Henry (1843-1942), was an American photographer famous for his pictures of the Old West. His photographs of the hot springs and geysers of the Yellowstone region of Wyoming helped persuade Congress to establish the first national park there in 1872. Jackson took many of the first true-to-life pictures of Indians. These pictures, Jackson’s spectacular landscapes, and his photos of pioneers and settlers provided a realistic view of the West.
Jackson was born on April 4, 1843, in Keesville, N.Y. In 1868, he opened a photography studio in Omaha, Neb. Jackson traveled throughout the West, often with government geological survey teams. Mules carried his heavy photographic equipment. Negatives produced by one of his cameras measured 20 by 24 inches (51 by 61 centimeters), which even at that time was unusually large. He opened a studio in Denver in 1879. He died on June 30, 1942.
