Henry Stark, Rocky Mountain National Park / Colorado Photograph Album 

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Jun 13, 2014 - Jun 14, 2014

Set Reminder 2014-06-13 01:00:00 2014-06-14 01:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : American History: Live Salesroom Auction https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/cowans/american-history-live-salesroom-auction-70
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• Lot Description
  Folio album with leather covers, front cover titled in gilt Rocky Mountain National Park/ Colorado, containing 23 sepia-toned silver gelatin photographs by Henry Stark, as indicated by the ink signed inscription on the inside cover Photographs by Henry Stark, Saint Louis. Each photograph, which is hand-bound into the album, measures 9.75 x 14 in. and is titled in ink near bottom edge. Ca 1910s. 

  
  

  This album features exceptional, and, at times, breathtaking views of the Rocky Mountain National Park landscape, most with people, dwellings, and different modes of transportation (automobiles and horses) incorporated into the compositions. Titles include: Twin Sisters Mountain; On the High Drive; Lunch at Loch Vale; Timberline Cabin; The Heart of the Rockies - Long's Peak; "Going Fishing," Lawn Lake; Lawn Lake and Cabin; Fall River Road and Lodge; Mts. Chapin and Chiquita; Balanced Rock on Fern Lake Trail; Gem Lake (2); Long's Peak from Gem Lake Trail; Colorado Mountain Club Register at Gem Lake; At Fern Lodge; Big Thompson Canyon; A Trail True the Spruces; Bear Lake and Camp; On Trail to Long's Peak (2); Outlet of Odessa Lake (2); Fern Falls; The Continental Divide. 

  
  

  Limited information is available regarding the documentary photographer, Henry Stark, but research indicates that he was probably born in St. Louis, MO during the last quarter of the 19th century. He was likely the brother of George Stark (ca 1871-1946), a St. Louis native and the first known photographer to work for the St. Louis Globe Democrat.

  
  

  In the winter of 1895, Stark ventured to Texas, traveling throughout the state and producing what is believed to be the first extensive photographic record of the state. The following year, many of Stark's photographs documenting Texas appeared in the Texarkana Gateway to Texas and the Southwest, which was printed by the Woodward and Tiernan Printing Co., St. Louis, and issued by the Iron Mountain Route, the Texas Pacific Railway, the Cotton Belt Route, and the International-Great Northern Railroad. An album titled Views in Texas. These Photographs Were Made in the Winter of 1895-96 by Henry Stark, St. Louis, Mo. was later assembled by Stark, and contained over 250 of his Texas photographs. The Dallas Historical Society houses the only known copy of this album. A publication printed in 1896 by Woodward and Tiernan, which features views on the Mississippi River, between St. Louis and New Orleans, Taken from an Anchor Line Steamer, September, 1896, as stated in the title, was credited to a photographer named Stark, and is likely referencing Henry Stark. He also produced photographs for Woodward and Tiernan's 1898 publication entitled The Heart of the South: Along the Line of the Atlanta and West Point Railroad and Western Railway of Alabama. (Information obtained from an entry written by Lawrence Landis for the Texas State Historical Association website on May 10, 2014.)

  
  

  Although we have been unable to determine why Stark produced this album, perhaps on behalf of the US Government to promote Rocky Mountain National Park, considering the artistic and highly professional quality of the photographs, the album was clearly created to showcase the majestic beauty of the Rockies as well as Stark's remarkable photographic vision. 

   

  Condition

  The photographs appear to be hand-bound into the book, and they are in near excellent condition. Some of the photos have come unbound. The album covers are worn, and the leather is quite worn and cracked in some areas.
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• Buyer's Premium

  • Hammer Price	Premium (%)
    $0	28.00
    $250,001	23.00
    $3,000,001	15.00