Really Old Pics of Yellowstone - Part 2

We continue to share some scans of a few of the photochroms in our collection. Photochrom prints are colorized images produced from black-and-white photographic negatives via the direct photographic transfer of a negative onto lithographic printing plates. The process is a photographic variant of chromolithography, a broader term that refers to color lithography in general. All of the photos below were originally created over 100 years ago.

Castle Geyser
Yellowstone National Park
by The Photochrom Company
1898

Liberty Cap, Mammoth Hot Springs
Yellowstone Park
by Detroit Photographic Company
1902

The Giant Geyser
Yellowstone National Park
by Detroit Photographic Company

Old Faithful
Yellowstone National Park
by Detroit Photographic Company
1902

Inspiration Point
Canyon of the Yellowstone
by Detroit Photographic Company
1902

Morning Glory [Spring]
Yellowstone Park
by Detroit Photographic Company
1902

Above is a postcard, not a photochrome. Morning Glory Spring is one of our favorite YNP features and we couldn't resist including the card for comparison purposes. The postcard view is by Haynes Photo; F. J. Haynes was the early Official Photographer of the Park. The card dates from approximately 1910 - 1914. Note that the color saturation is greater in the photochrome, which was several years earlier.

[Upper Falls of the Yellowstone]

Emerald Spring
Yellowstone National Park
by Detroit Photographic Company
1902

by Detroit Photographic Company
1902

Looking at these photos it is easy to see why Yellowstone is often called "Wonderland." The earliest explorers had a really hard time convincing folks who hadn't seen the area with their own eyes that it actually existed.

To be continued in our next post.  Be sure not to miss Part 1 of these photochrome views here.

Thanks for stopping by John's Island.