The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 28, 2024

The Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon

c. 1924
(American, 1879–1957)
Image: 20.3 x 25.6 cm (8 x 10 1/16 in.); Paper: 25.4 x 32.1 cm (10 x 12 5/8 in.); Matted: 40.6 x 50.8 cm (16 x 20 in.)
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

At the start of the 20th century, the Grand Canyon was already a famous destination for tourists.

Description

“Thou vast, profound, primeval hiding-place / Of ancient secrets,” wrote Henry Van Dyke in 1913 in his poem The Grand Canyon. Made a decade later, William E. Dassonville’s photograph conveys a similar awe at this national landmark’s grandeur, mystery, and power. In a shrewd composition that masterfully takes advantage of natural light, Dassonville emphasized the depth and breadth of the canyon by setting a white outcropping in the foreground against a dark shadow that slices the rectangular image in half diagonally. To its right, a sunbathed vista of cliffs and valleys takes our eye into deep, deep space.
  • Stories From Storage. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 7-May 16, 2021).
    Shadows and Dreams: Pictorialist Photography in America. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (September 5, 2015-January 17, 2016).
    Icons of American Photography: A Century of Photographs from the Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 24-September 16, 2007).
    American Space: Landscape Photography 1900-1950. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (January 6-May 23, 2001).
  • {{cite web|title=The Grand Canyon|url=false|author=William E. Dassonville|year=c. 1924|access-date=28 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1999.106