Andrew J. Russell

Andrew Joseph Russell (1830 – 1902)

One of a handful of landscape photographers who shaped our perception of the American West in the 19th century, A. J. Russell’s work stands alongside of Carleton Watkins, Eadweard Muybridge and Timothy O’Sullivan in its aesthetic power and technical virtuosity. A large group of Russell’s original glass-plate negatives are preserved in the Collection of the Oakland Museum of California.

A painter as well as photographer, Russell worked for Matthew Brady before documenting the U.S. Military Railroad as a captain during the Civil War. After the war, he secured a position as official photographer for the Union Pacific Railroad in its massive endeavor to construct a transcontinental railroad. His photographs, culminating in the iconic “Joining of the Rails” at Promontory, Utah, capture the majestic scale of western lands, the gritty enterprise of railroad building, frontier boom towns, and the effect of railroads on Native Americans.

Russell’s photographs brought the railroad, and the American West, to a mass audience. Disseminated internationally as stereo views and engravings in newspapers, and filtered through Hollywood films and even advertising, Russell’s visual style continues to influence our image of western history and mythology.

In 1969 the Oakland Museum acquired nearly 650 collodion “wet plate” negatives in both stereo and “imperial” (10 X 13 inch) formats. The original glass camera negatives were made in the field by Russell himself, making the collection unique, among major 19th century landscape photographers. The Museum also holds one of the few surviving copies of The Great West Illustrated, an album of vintage albumen prints by Russell, as well as mounted stereo views and more than 100 glass lantern slides.

Russell’s photographs illuminate powerful themes in American history: westward expansion and Manifest Destiny, the displacement of native peoples, attitudes toward landscape and the natural environment, technological history (both engineering and photographic), and the important role of art and photography in shaping and expressing cultural concerns.

For the first time, high-resolution digital scans of the original glass-plate negatives are now available for online viewing. These scans are highly detailed and rich in searchable content.

This project is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.

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Echo City, Looking South West Andrew J. Russell 1869 "Echo City Looking S.W." #318. Old number may be Russell negative number. See donor file.	Rifted Rocks, Black Hills Andrew J. Russell 1869 "#90 (no.2) Rifted Rocks Blk. Hills." Old number may be Russell negative number. See donor file.
Old Capitol, Omaha Andrew J. Russell 1869 "Cap #30 Oma" Old " Capital Omaha Probable Russell photograph stored in Russell drawer. Across the Continent. Miscellaneous Eastern U.S. In this next section, I have grouped the slides,...	Steam Boat Rocks, Echo Canyon Andrew J. Russell 1869 Looking up Echo Canyon. Russell #299? Across the Continent. 2. Echo Canyon;Bear R.; Unita Mts. - In wood file cabinet. In this next section, I have grouped the slides, photographer unknown,...
Mack's Cut Andrew J. Russell 1869 "523 Mack's Cut" Old number may be Russell negative number. See donor file.Titles derived from the lists on the verso of Russell stereographs published after his return to New York in fall 1869....	Colfax and Party Andrew J. Russell 1869 "Sedgwick" #316 Colfax and Party, closer view. Old number may be Russell negative number. See donor file.New Identification by Susan Williams 8/6/98Individuals identified from left to right:1....
Castle Rock, No. 2, [Echo] Andrew J. Russell 1869 "Sedgwick #268" Castle Rock Head of Echo. Old number may be Russell negative number. See donor file.	Reeds Rock near [View] Summit Andrew J. Russell 1869 "Reed's Rock 8235 Sherman Sta #83" Two men atop rock formation. Old number may be Russell negative number. See donor file."Image is Oakland [Russell negative] number 84. Reeds Rock near [View]...
Looking West, from Strawberry Ford Andrew J. Russell 1869 "Sedgwick" #398 Strawberry Ford, Weber Canyon. Old number may be Russell negative number. See donor file."399. Looking West from Strawberry Ford" title per Glenn Willumson for the NEA Russell...	Green River, Side Cut with Engine Andrew J. Russell 1869 "Side cut Green R. Chesebro & Magee #184" Engine on tracks. Old number may be Russell negative number. See donor file.
Parley's Park Andrew J. Russell 1869 "Sedgwick #466 a Parleys P." Group in front of log cabin. Old number may be Russell negative number. See donor file.	Looking into the Devil's Gate, Weber From the South Andrew J. Russell 1869 "#400 Devil's Gate Bridge, General view. Old number may be Russell negative number. See donor file."419. Looking into the Devil's Gate, Weber from the South" title per Glenn Willumson."The first...
Cut No. 5, West of Wasatch Andrew J. Russell 1869 "Tunnel no. 2 looking down" #229 engine on tracks. Old number may be Russell negative number. See donor file.H69.459.461 is a lantern slide that uses the same image of glass plate negative H69.459...	Sacramento Andrew J. Russell 1869 "Sacramento" S569 Machine shops in distance. Old number Russell negative number. See donor file.
Great Trestle Near Tunnel No. 2 Andrew J. Russell 1869 "Sedgwick #228. 430. 75" Great trestle near tunnel no. 2. Three men in foreground. Old number may be Russell negative number. See donor file."228. Great trestle near tunnel no. 2" title per Glenn...	Trestle Across Great Z, with Engine Andrew J. Russell 1869 "Sedgwick #223" Trestle Great Z, train on bridge. Old number may be Russell negative number. See donor file. "219. Trestle across Great Z with Engine" title per Glenn...
Turn Table, Grand Island Andrew J. Russell 1869 "Turntable, Omaha" #545 Engine 76 emerging from shop door. Old number may be Russell negative number. See donor file."45. Turn Table, Grand Island " title per Glenn Willumson for the NEA Russell...	Loup Fork Bridge, Exterior View Andrew J. Russell 1869 "South River bridge #42" Bridge spanning wide river. Old number may be Russell negative number. See donor file."42. Loup Fork Bridge, exterior view" title per Glenn Willumson for the NEA Russell...
Beaver Dams, Bear River Andrew J. Russell 1869 Title: Beaver Dam, Bear River Image description: SV #470 Physical Description: Stereographic collodion glass plate negative. Sub. Cat.: Transportation -- Railroads.	Old Capitol, Omaha Andrew J. Russell 1869 Photograph. Title: 30 Old Capitol Omaha (Scratched on negative) Image Description: (s30) See title. Man in front of building. Physical Description: Stereographic collodion glass plate negative,...
Weber Canyon from Eagle Gap Andrew J. Russell 1869 Photograph. Title: Weber Canon from Eagle Gap Image Description: (s346) see Title Physical Description: Stereographic collodion glass plate negative. Sub. Cat.: Transportation -- Railroads...	[...] Laying Last Rail Andrew J. Russell 1869 Photograph. Title: Before laying last rail Image Description: (s538) see Title Physical Description: Stereographic collodion glass plate negative. Sub. Cat.: Transportation -- Railroads....
Front of Round House, Rawlings Andrew J. Russell 1869 Photograph. Title: 148 Front of Round House Rawlings Image Description: (s148) See title. Six engines in round house. Physical Description: Stereographic collodion glass plate negative...	Station and Engine Andrew J. Russell 1869 Photograph. Title: Station and Engine (scratched on negative) Image Description: (s182) See title. Green River Station and Engine Number 86. See also 69.459.2160. Physical Description:...