Charming, small-format album comprising sharp, well-composed photographs of the dramatic and beautiful scenery along the Columbia River, Oregon.

The photographic history of the Columbia River Gorge is a rich one, with Carleton Watkins being one of the first (naturally) pioneers to document the remarkable riverside landscape in 1867, navigating upriver by use of steamboat. As the nineteenth century came to a close, access to more remote areas of the West expanded, and the Columbia River was no exception. In 1882, the Oregon Railway & Navigation Company opened their new Columbia River line. This would ultimately become part of the Oregon Short Line and a network that connected the Pacific Coast to Salt Lake City, Omaha, Denver, and other transcontinental routes. An immense feat of engineering, the construction project endured rising tides at the West, sand dunes at the East, and innumerable geologic obstructions along the way. It was these “obstructions” however that made for a highly photogenic landscape, and in turn drew artists, photographers, and tourists alike.

The photographs in this album were taken by Martin Mason Hazeltine (1827-1903), an early (and brief) daguerreotypist in San Francisco and highly regarded photographer of the West. He is known well for his fine views of the Yosemite Valley, and his 1876 partnership with John James Reilly (who had previously been his biggest rival.) By the mid 1880s, when Hazeltine was photographing for the Oregon Railway & Navigation Company, he was a veteran photographer of the West, maintaining galleries in Boise, Idaho, and Baker City, Oregon. Nicknamed “the traveling photographer” due to his propensity for journeying between his neighboring states, Hazeltine used a horse-drawn developing car to create and develop his exquisitely exposed photographs while out in the field. His immense understanding of the medium was supreme to the younger generation of working photographers, moving West to make “souvenirs,” and this album is no exception to the consistently high quality of Hazeltine’s work. (Despite its nature as a bound souvenir)

Among the 12 Hazeltine views are breathtaking shots depicting the iconic Needles (with a train passing through), Multnomah Falls, Latourelle Falls, Cape Horn, Rooster Rock, Bridal Veil Falls, The Old Block House, and Castle Rock, shown in an excellent composition with a small river steamer in the foreground, most likely Hazeltine’s method of transportation. A number of the images include small, at times almost invisible, figures (a device used by Hazeltine & J.J. Reilly in some of their Yosemite scenes giving scale to the behemoth landscape.) The introductory photograph entitled “Columbia River” portrays a group riding a horse-drawn wagon, with the expanse of the majestic gorge visible in the distance.

The album was sold by Stuart & Thompson of Portland, Oregon. The bookseller and stationer was located at 105 First St. and appears to have been active between 1890 and 1896. In one advertisement (in the 1890 edition of West Shore) the company purports to deal in holiday gift books, art novelties, fine leather goods, christmas cards, and souvenirs.