Tufa Domes, Pyramid Lake, Nevada, c. 1867 by Timothy O’Sullivan

Tufa Domes, Pyramid Lake, Nevada, by Timothy H. O’Sullivan captures a chain of volcanic tufa formations rising from the still waters of Pyramid Lake, culminating in the lake’s namesake pyramid-shaped rock beneath a hazy sky. O’Sullivan (c. 1840–1882) was an Irish-American photographer who first gained renown documenting the Civil War before joining Clarence King’s Geological Exploration of the Fortieth Parallel, for which this plate was made.

Artist: Timothy H. O’Sullivan (c. 1840–1882). Date: 1867.

Tufa Domes, Pyramid Lake, Nevada. Historic American West Photography Canvas Print.