MorseBlog

This is the second in the series of photos from the 1952 booklet The Glory of Our West published by Standard Oil company.   Grand Canyon National Park  ESTHER HENDERSON, Tucson. 5 x 7 Eastman view camera ; 5-1/4" Goerz Dagor lens; Kodachrome film; 1/10 second at f:8; July at sunset.   Monument Valley  ESTHER HENDERSON, Tucson. 5 x 7 Eastman view camera; 5-1/4" Goerz Dagor lens; Kodachrome film; 1/25 second at f:12.5; midmorning, mid-August.   Rainbow Natural Bridge  CARI. JUNGHANS, Hollywood. 4 x 5 Speed Graphic camera ; Kodak Ektar f.:4.5 lens; Kodachrome film, daylight type; 1/50 second at f:8; early March.   Zion National Park  JOSEF MUENCH, Santa Barbara. 4 x 5 Graflex Crown view camera; Zeiss Tessar lens; Kodachrome film, day-light type; skylight filter; 1 second at f:40.  Bryce Canyon National Park  FRED BOND, Los Angeles. 4x5 Speed Graphic camera; 5-1/4" lens; Kodachrome film; d...

A couple of years ago on one of my visits to see my dad in the the USA my wife and I stopped by our favorite bookstore in Bonners Ferry Idaho,  Bonners Books . We love browsing their well curated selection of books in a quiet and friendly atmosphere. I stumbled upon this slender volume called The Glory of Our West . It was filled with really nice iconic images of the western US and a short essay for each image. (There are in about 50 images so I will break this into a number of postings.) I did a little research, published in 1952 it was made to encourage motor trips to the west by Standard Oil of California for rather obvious commercial reasons. They combined photographs from the foremost landscape photographers of the time and writings by various famous writers in the west at the time. There were earlier versions as well apparently and other editions. The photographers and writers were mostly regional. The whole work while clearly commercial in intent was executed with some art...