Grand Tetons and the Snake River, Grand Teton National Park, Wyo.
1942
Sho-sho-ne-pah is the Indigenous name for the Snake River. La Maudite Riviere Enragee (The Accursed Mad River) was its name for French fur trappers, likely due to rapids and dangerous seasonal snow melts. One of Adams’s most iconic works, this image belies the river’s violent history born of volcanic activity and depths deeper than the Grand Canyon. With his signature sharp-focused style, the artist presents the silvery river snaking through the alpine plateau of the Grand Tetons, on its way to its final destination, the Columbia River. Adams, a dedicated environmentalist, wanted to make his images comprehensible to his audiences and to “talk” to the American people through these pictures.
Gelatin silver print
15 15/16 x 19 1/16 in. (40.5 x 48.4cm)
Gift of Chuck, Sarah and Sam Kuhn
89.74