H.B. Calfee Stereographs of Yellowstone National Park, circa 1875-1880

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Calfee, H. B. (Henry Bird), 1848-1912
Title
H.B. Calfee Stereographs of Yellowstone National Park
Dates
circa 1875-1880 (inclusive)
Quantity
102 items
Collection Number
2324
Summary
The H.B. Calfee Stereographs of Yellowstone National Park consists of views of Yellowstone National Park showing natural features such as geysers, rock formations, and watercourses. "The Enchanted Land; or, Wonders of the Yellowstone National Park," are images Calfee produced while also promoting his magic lantern lectures. "Views of the Wonderland; or, Yellowstone National Park," are perhaps Calfee's earliest images, made while he still resided in Bozeman.
Repository
Montana State University Library, Merrill G. Burlingame Special Collections
Montana State University-Bozeman Library
Merrill G Burlingame Special Collections
P.O. Box 173320
Bozeman, MT
59717-3320
Telephone: 4069944242
Fax: 4069942851
Access Restrictions

This collection is open for research.

Languages
Sponsor
Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

Henry Bird Calfee was a native of Arkansas and was born January 3, 1848. His boyhood was spent in the southern and eastern states. He moved to Montana territory in 1867 where he worked as a painter and prospector for several years. Calfee first settled in Bozeman, but by 1885 he was living in Missoula where he remained the rest of his life. He first began taking photographs in Yellowstone during the 1870s and marketed the images nationwide. Calfee also toured the country giving illustrated lectures on the park with the assistance of lantern slides.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The stereographs in this collection are, with one exception, views of Yellowstone National Park showing natural features such as geysers, rock formations, and watercourses. The stereographs have been divided into three series. "The Enchanted Land; or, Wonders of the Yellowstone National Park," are images Calfee produced while also promoting his magic lantern lectures and are identified as such by his stamp on the green colored mounting of each image. "Views of the Wonderland; or, Yellowstone National Park," are perhaps Calfee's earliest images, made while he still resided in Bozeman. These images are mounted on yellow board which also bears Calfee's stamp on the verso, or another stamp identifying the firm as "Calfee and Catlin." The final series of stereographs are not stamped and are mounted on orange or beige colored mounts and have been attributed to Calfee.

Calfee assigned image numbers and titles to stereographs in Series 1 and 2. In Series 1, printed titles and numbers appear on the front of the mount beneath the image. In Series 2, the titles appear on pasted labels or in pencil on the back of the mount. Image numbers do not repeat between these series, except for 66 and 76, which appear in each series but represent distinct images. The titles of stereographs in Series 3 were taken from the handwritten information on the back of the mounts. These items are not numbered.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

Series 1 "The Enchanted Land; or, Wonders of the Yellowstone National Park"

Series 2 "Views of the Wonderland; or, Yellowstone National Park"

Series 3 Unmarked Calfee stereographs

Acquisition Information

Original stereograph prints created by Henry B. Calfee were purchased by Special Collections from Susan and Jack Davis of Bozeman, Montana on February 23 and March 30, 1995.

Processing Note

This collection was processed 2009 May 28

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

1:  "The Enchanted Land; or, Wonders of the Yellowstone National Park"Return to Top

Stereograph images of natural features taken by Calfee. Titles were taken from information included on the mounts, and the numbers preceding the titles are those assigned by Calfee.

Container(s) Description
Box stereographs
1 5
Crystal Forest
1 7
Liberty Cap 47 feet high
1 11
Scrollwork in Bottom of Periodical Lake
1 14
Cove Spring
1 15
Stairway up Debri Hill
1 24
Coral Pools
1 39
Pearl Pool, Mammoth Springs
1 41
Cascade West Fork of Gardiner River
1 46
Looking down Gardiner Canyon
1 49
Petrified Tree
1 55
Tower Fall 128 ft
1 56
Looking over Tower Fall
1 57
Tower Rocks
1 59
Upper Fall of Yellowstone from Lower Fall
1 60
Crystal Cascade
1 63
Upper Terrace pools Hot Springs
1 66
Eagle Cliff from Lovers Leap
1 73
Section of Upper Fall Yellowstone
1 76
Old Faithful Geyser
1 80
Old Faithful Geyser
1 83
Craters of the Tree Jokers
1 84
Crater of Giantess Geyser
1 89
Bee Hive Geyser
1 90
Fountain Geyser
1 94
Section of Crater of the Castle Geyser
1 95
Giantess Group of Geysers
1 104
Morning View in the Geyser Basin
1 105
Monument Park
1 108
Fire Hole Falls
1 109
Crater of Giant Geyser
1 127
Annies Lake and Pyramid Mountain reflected
1 134
Hermit Mountain Perpetual Snow Arches
1 148
Summer in the Rocky Mountains
1 149
Fishing in the Park
1 164
Camel Cliff Hoodoo Basin
1 167
Leaf formation in Bottom of Periodical Lake
1 173
Hoodoo Sentinel
1 177
Pluto's Terraces
1 202
Giantess Geyser
1 206
Grand Canyon
1 209
Grand Canyon from the Falls
1 211
Great Falls from Red Butte
1 215
Dismal view, Looking in Grand Canyon
1 220
Great Falls near view
1 234
Mt' Sheridan Reflected
1 237
Boulder Falls, Tower Creek
1 275
Pluto's Bath Tub

2:  "Views of the Wonderland; or, Yellowstone National Park"Return to Top

Stereograph images of natural features taken by Calfee. Titles were taken from information included on the mounts, and the numbers preceding the titles are those assigned by Calfee. The last three images have no assigned number, but still bear the Calfee stamp.

Container(s) Description
Box stereographs
1 28
Grotto in the Glen, Mammoth Springs
1 55
Tower Falls, 220 feet high
1 66
Scene on the Yellowstone
1 67
Yellowstone Canyon
1 76
Old Faithful Geyser, in Eruption
1 89
Bee Hive Geyser in action
1 94
Section of the Crater of Castle Geyser
1 104
Morning View in the Upper Geyser Basin
1 107
Fire Hole River, and Crater of Riverside
1 119
Fairies' Falls, on Specimen Creek
1 127
Annie's Lake
1 128
A View on Lake Agnes
1 148
Summer in the Rocky Mountains
1
Lower Basins East Side Mammoth Springs
1
View on Soda Creek
1
Twin towers

3:  Unmarked Calfee stereographsReturn to Top

Stereographs on orange or beige unmarked mounts attributed to Calfee. Titles taken from handwritten notations on the mounts.

Container(s) Description
Box
2
The Spring in Yellowstone Lake
2
Upper Falls
2
Cone of the Grotto Geyser
2
Mammoth Hot Springs
2
Group of Geysers taken from Old Faithful Geyser Basin
2
Bee Hive Geyser
2
Mammoth Hot Springs
2
Old Faithful
2
Boiling Pool in Yellowstone Lake
2
Bath Pools of Diana, Mammoth Hot Springs
2
Grand Geyser
2
Natural Bridge
2
Cone of River Side Geyser
2
Tower Creek Falls
2
Mammoth Hot Springs
2
Giant Geyser in action
2
Corinthian Bath Pools, Mammoth Hot Springs
2
Egyptian Pools, Mammoth Hot Springs
2
Castle Geyser in action
2
Geyser Basin
2
Canon Fire Hole River
2
Coral Bath Pools, Mammoth Hot Springs
2
Liberty Cap
2
Gibbon River Falls
2
Uncle Sam's Wash Bowl
2
Rapids on the Yellowstone above the falls
2
Unmarked beige mounts
2
Chinese Pools, Mammoth Hot Springs
2
Crater of Beehive Geyser
2
Nelson Story Residence, Bozeman, MT

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Photographers-Yellowstone National Park

Geographical Names

  • Yellowstone National Park--Photographs

Form or Genre Terms

  • Stereographs-Yellowstone National Park