ABSTRACT
The landscape surveys undertaken in the US from the 1860s had a cultural, environmental and ideological impact that far exceeded their intended documentary purpose. They shaped the 'pioneer spirit' and helped create the mythic and enduring vision of the 'American West'. Timothy H O'Sullivan, a leading photographer during the Civil War, took part in two of the four major expeditions: George Wheeler's 100th Meridian Survey, and Clarence King's Fortieth Parallel Survey, which Carleton E Watkins also accompanied in 1867. EO Beaman and John K Hillers both took part in John Wesley Powell's Survey of the Rocky Mountain Region; and William Henry Jackson was appointed as official photographer of Ferdinand Hayden's US Survey of the Territories. The images produced by these photographers, and the many others who worked outside of the official survey capacity, functioned as far more than visual descriptions.
