CC0 · no rights reserved
Austin, Nevada
From the collection of Smithsonian American Art Museum. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
Dreams of fortune buried deep in silver mines attracted over 10,000 people to Austin, Nevada, in the early 1860s. Located in the remote Toiyabe Range, this boomtown was soon deserted, leaving the buildings seen here to fall into disrepair. Clarence King led a team through Austin for the U.S. government sponsored Geological Exploration of the Fortieth Parallel, a survey that covered an expanse 800 miles long and 100 miles wide between the Sierra Nevada and Rocky Mountains. Timothy O’Sullivan’s photograph illustrates with precision and clarity the scientific findings of this major geological study.
Smithsonian American Art Museum’s own descriptionSubjects
Credit lineAustin, Nevada. 1868. Timothy H. O'Sullivan, born Ireland 1840-died New York City 1882. Smithsonian American Art Museum, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase from the Charles Isaacs Collection made possible in part by the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment. CC0.
