Meissonier masterpiece
now on view at the Frick
1806, Jena is on view at the Frick through May 31, 2009.
Rob Rogers discusses
political cartooning on 10/12
The Post-Gazette's award-winning editorial cartoonist will discuss his experiences covering the 2008 presidential campaign and conventions.
Music for Exhibitions
begins new season 11/18
Join Katherine Soroka and Chatham Baroque for an evening of memorable music.
View photos from the 2008 H. C. Frick Horseless Carriage Tour
Twenty-six teams of drivers made it a day of fun.
Sign up for the
Frick e-newsletter
Each month, receive the latest information about exhibitions; programs for adults, families, children, and teachers; events; specials at The Café and the Museum Shop; and more.
now on view at the Frick
1806, Jena is on view at the Frick through May 31, 2009.
Rob Rogers discusses
political cartooning on 10/12
The Post-Gazette's award-winning editorial cartoonist will discuss his experiences covering the 2008 presidential campaign and conventions.
Music for Exhibitions
begins new season 11/18
Join Katherine Soroka and Chatham Baroque for an evening of memorable music.
View photos from the 2008 H. C. Frick Horseless Carriage Tour
Twenty-six teams of drivers made it a day of fun.
Sign up for the
Frick e-newsletter
Each month, receive the latest information about exhibitions; programs for adults, families, children, and teachers; events; specials at The Café and the Museum Shop; and more.
Sights Once Seen: Daguerreotyping Frémont's Last Expedition through the Rockies
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June 14, 2003 - August 10, 2003 |
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Sights Once Seen: Daguerreotyping Frémont's Last Expedition through the Rockies May 22, 2003, Pittsburgh, PA — Sights Once Seen: Daguerreotyping Frémont’s Last Expedition through the Rockies, an exhibition of more than 100 daguerreotypes of western landscapes by contemporary daguerreotype artist Robert Shlaer, is on view at The Frick Art Museum from June 14 through August 10, 2003. In this unique and memorable exhibition, Shlaer has recreated a lost portfolio of work by Solomon Nunes Carvalho, a 19th-century photographer who accompanied explorer John Charles Frémont during the winter of 1853-54 to find a central route for a trans-continental railroad. Although unsuccessful in its objective, the expedition was nevertheless the first in the history of western exploration to systematically document the magnificent terrain of the West using photography’s first process, the daguerreotype. Daguerreotypy, introduced in 1839, uses small copper plates covered with a highly polished layer of silver to create one-of-a-kind images of unparalleled detail. It was rarely used in early exploration due to the difficulties of transporting the bulky equipment and producing the tiny, vulnerable images in harsh field conditions. Although Frémont and Carvalho emerged from the wilderness with over 300 daguerreotypes, the expedition has been practically lost to history, since it produced no written report and the daguerreotypes were destroyed in a warehouse fire in 1881. Fortunately, 34 images survived in the form of engravings made from daguerreotype prints. In order to reconstruct Frémont’s Fifth Expedition, Shlaer painstakingly researched surviving documents, including maps, explorers’ journals and memoirs, and the 34 engraved plates derived from Carvalho’s original series of daguerreotypes. Over the course of four years, Shlaer produced over 100 daguerreotypes that recapture (as much as possible) the views seen by the explorers and illustrate, to a remarkable degree, how nature and the landscape might have appeared to them over 150 years ago. Included in Sights Once Seen are exquisite images of the Santa Fe Trail, Colorado’s Cochepeta Pass and Cathedral Valley, Utah. John Charles Frémont (1813-1890) was one of the great, romantic heroes of his generation. Famous for his explorations of the West, Frémont undertook his fifth and final expedition during the winter of 1853-54 to search for a central transcontinental railway route that would traverse the Rocky Mountains. Knowing that he and his sponsors would need to make an irrefutable case for the route before Congress and the public, Frémont commissioned daguerreotype photographer Solomon Nunes Carvalho to document the expedition. Leaving Kansas City, Missouri in September 1853, Frémont and his men encountered treacherous conditions and sub-zero temperatures for much of their trek through the Rocky Mountains. These conditions posed particular challenges for Carvalho, as daguerreotypy involves exposing silver-coated copper plates to gaseous chemicals for an extended period of time and rinsing the plates in distilled water before gilding or tinting. Among the difficulties he overcame was processing his plates in the open air without the benefit of a darkroom or a dark tent. Four months later, the expedition ground to a halt in the snowy Wasatch Mountains of Utah. The men stored their excess equipment and struggled out of the wilderness with some 300 daguerreotypes. The plates were taken to New York City, where copies were made by the famous Civil War photographer Matthew Brady to illustrate Frémont’s report. The report was never written, and the daguerreotypes, along with most of Brady’s copies, were lost in a warehouse fire in 1881. The surviving records of the expedition were thus scattered and largely unknown until Shlaer’s reconstruction of the journey. According to William B. Bodine, Jr., Director of the Frick Art & Historical Center, “Sights Once Seen complements previous exhibitions at the Frick, such as Clayton Days. Picture Stories by Vik Muniz [Fall 2000], that explored historical photographic techniques put to new use by contemporary artists. “At its heart,” Bodine continues, “Sights Once Seen is a magnificent story of bravery and artistic determination by Frémont and Carvalho, who battled unimaginable circumstances to explore and photograph the West; and by Robert Shlaer, who went to great lengths to recreate this largely forgotten achievement in American history.” Sights Once Seen: Daguerreotyping Frémont’s Last Expedition through the Rockies is accompanied by a 165-page catalogue written by Robert Shlaer. The catalogue, published by the Museum of New Mexico Press, features 120 daguerreotypes by the artist, as well as historic maps and photographs. It will be available for $45 at the Frick’s Museum Shop. Sights Once Seen was organized by the Palace of the Governors, Museum of New Mexico, and circulated through TREX: The Traveling Exhibitions Program of the Museum of New Mexico, supported by grants from the Museum of New Mexico Foundation and private donors. Prior to its engagement at the Frick, the exhibition was presented at the U.S. Department of Interior Museum. In 2004, the exhibition will travel to The Amon Carter Museum. The Artist Robert Shlaer diverged from a career in theoretical biology to follow his interest in daguerreotype photography. He began his pursuit of Frémont’s Fifth Expedition in 1994 and traveled for more than four years over the terrain it traversed to produce Sights Once Seen. Shlaer’s photographs have been exhibited in the United States and abroad, including at the International Museum of Photography at the George Eastman House in Rochester, New York. His daguerreotypes are included in the collections of The Amon Carter Museum, The Boston Athenaeum and The Huntington Library, among others. The Frick Art Museum Part of the Frick Art & Historical Center in Pittsburgh, The Frick Art Museum contains the fine and decorative art collection of Helen Clay Frick, daughter of Henry Clay Frick. In addition to exhibiting its permanent collection, which concentrates on Italian Renaissance and French eighteenth-century works, the Museum has an active program of temporary exhibitions. Admission to The Frick Art Museum is free. Frick Art & Historical Center The Frick Art & Historical Center is located at 7227 Reynolds Street in Point Breeze. Free parking is available in the Frick’s off-street lot, or along adjacent neighborhood streets. Hours of operation: Tuesday – Saturday, 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Sunday 12:00 – 6:00 p.m. Closed Mondays and major holidays. For information and reservations, please call 412-371-0600, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Monday through Sunday. For information and reservations for kids’ programs, please call 412-205-2022, 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., Monday through Sunday. For further information or images, please contact Greg Langel at the Frick Art & Historical Center at 412-371-0600, ext. 524, or at glangel@frickart.org. Click here for more information about special events and programs offered in conjunction with the Summer 2003 photography exhibitions. |
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