Cosmic Cities, Grand Canyon of Arizona

Place

A black and white photograph of Dow on hands and knees at the rocky edge of the Grand Canyon, bending over a camera on the ground in front of him.

Arthur Wesley Dow at Grand Canyon, Alvin Langdon Coburn, British, b. United States, 1882–1966, digital positive from the original negative gelatin on nitrocellulose roll film, 3 27/50 x 4 18/25in., George Eastman Museum, Gift of Alvin Langdon Coburn, 1979.3788.0006 © The Universal Order

Accustomed to painting smaller-scale images of the marsh landscapes in his hometown of Ipswich, Massachusetts, artist Arthur Wesley Dow created large-scale paintings after visiting the Grand Canyon in 1911. See the scene he saw during his visit in this photo, of Dow photographing the Grand Canyon’s expanse on a rocky ledge.